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AROUND  THE  CARIBBEAN 

AND 

ACROSS  PANAMA 


^ 


A 


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%  Francis  C.   l^jcholas,  M.  Sc,  Ph.  D. 

Ilon'y  F.A.M.N.H  ,   Hon'y  Asc.  Inst.  Jamaica, 
Hon>  C.M.N.Y.A.Sc. 


Around  the  Caribbean 

and  i^^,.^ 

Across  Panama 


•2-, 


Boston  <a  New  York 
11 H.  M.  Caldwell  Company 


Publishers 


Copyright,  IQO^^ 
By  H.  M.  Caldwell  Company 


ffiolonfal  ^rwg 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  SImonds  &  Co. 

Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


Bancroft  Libnuy 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

Acknowledgments  of  gratitude  are  due  to 
Dr.  Arturo  de  Brigard,  Consul  General  of 
Colombia,  for  valuable  plates  and  illustrations ; 
and  to  W.  R.  Gillespie,  Esq.,  of  the  American- 
Honduras  Company,  for  photographs  of  the 
Rio  Patuca  and  it's  savannahs;  and  to  Dr. 
Juan  J.  Ulloa,  Consul  General  of  Costa  Rica, 
for  interesting  photographs. 


By^M»yoft  lib'^"»y 


PREFACE 

Of  all  the  regions  adjacent  to  the  United 
States  none  are  so  attractive  or  present  such 
varied  conditions  of  development,  scenic  beauty, 
and  commercial  opportunity  as  the  countries 
about  the  Caribbean  Sea.  From  the  islands  of 
the  West  Indies,  with  their  teeming  population, 
some  of  them  the  most  densely  peopled  spots  in 
the  world,  to  the  low  lands  of  Central  America, 
where,  in  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  a  human 
voice  is  all  but  unknown,  we  find  a  varied  coun- 
try. It  is  a  vast  region  surrounding  the  pleas- 
ant waters  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  inhabited  by 
divers  people,  and  presenting  for  our  considera- 
tion snow-capped  mountains,  temperate  uplands, 
broad  savannahs  and  grassy  plains,  open 
valleys,  dense  jungles,  and  mighty  rivers  pour- 
ing their  torrents  of  muddy  water  into  the  sea. 
One  meets  Spaniards,  Englishmen,  Negroes,  and 
Indians  of  many  different  tribes.  Of  products 
everything  known  to  the  American  tropics   is 


PREFACE 

to  be  had.  Commerce  is  flourishing  as  yet  only 
in  its  infancy,  but  with  the  opening  of  work  on 
the  Isthmian  Canal  a  great  impetus  will  be  given 
to  all  this  region;  and  many  will  turn  to  the 
South,  some  looking  for  business  in  the  cities, 
others  going  to  the  wilderness  on  projects  of  de- 
velopment, or  seeking  to  gather  products. 

For  my  part,  I  have  visited  almost  every 
point  of  the  Caribbean  regions,  and  expect  to 
go  there  again  many  times.  What  has  hap- 
pened to  me,  is  similar  to  what  others  may 
expect;  descriptions  of  a  country  are  all  very 
well,  but  incidents  and  adventures  of  the  road 
give  a  much  clearer  idea  of  the  conditions  and 
of  the  circumstances  which  one  must  expect  to 
encounter. 


^tguaoti 


Libiag)^ 


CONTENTS 


HAPTEB  PAGE 

I.     Going  South 1 

II.     Camping  on  the  Coast  of  Spanish  Hon- 
duras   4 

III.  Indians  and  Mosquitoes         ...  17 

IV.  Wild  Animals  and  a  Panther  at  Night  30 
V.     Alone  in  an  Indian  Village          .         .  37 

VI.     A  Startling  Proposition  and  a  Heavy 

Flood 45 

Vll.     A  Row  in  Camp 61 

VIII.     Alone  with  the  Indians  Again     .        .  66 
IX.     Over     the     Mountains     with     Indian 

Murderers         .....  66 

X.     Treachery  and  Poison   ....  79 
XI.     Perplexities     and    Spanish  -  American 

Hospitality 96 

XII.     Examining  a  Mine  under  Difficulties  107 
Xni.     Over  the  Mountains  on  a  Race  against 

Time 120 

XIV.     A  Rough  Journey  to  the  Coast  .         .  130 
XV.     Honduras    to    Costa    Rica    via    New 

Orleans 138 

XVI.     The  Death  Dance  of   the    Talamanca 

Indians 144 

XVII.     Up  the  Atrato  River  in  Colombia       .  175 

XVIII.     The  Wilderness  of  the  Choco  Country  185 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XIX.    A  Canoe  Route  from  the   Cabibbean 
TO  THE  Pacific  .... 

XX.     Across  Panama 

XXI.     The  Indians  and  Resources  op  Panama 

XXn.     Panama  and  Nicaragua  Routes  for  the 

Isthmian  Canal         .... 

XXm.     Hunting  for  Gold  in  Antioquia  . 

XXIV.     A  Canoe  Voyage  in  the  Open  Sea 

XXV.     The  Sierra   Nevada   de   Santa  Marta 

Mountains 

XXVI.     Among  the  Goajira  Indians  . 
XXVII.     Ramon,  a  Story  of  the  Goajiras 
XXVIII.     Across  Country  to  Bogota    . 
XXIX.     Through  the  West  Indies     . 
XXX.     A  Faithful  Guide 


197 
215 


236 
242 
251 

258 
294 
307 
336 
351 
371 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Pine  lands  and  savannahs  near  the  Rio  Patuca,  on  the 

way  to  the  Indian  village  {See  page  38)       Frontispiece 

-Map  of  the  Caribbean  regions v 

Map  of  the  Caribbean  regions  and  localities  where 

adventures  occurred vii 

The  Rio  Patuca 26 

A  river  of  the  tropical  low  lands  ....       62 

Mosquito  bars  prepared  for  the  night  near  a  tropical 

river 70 

Jungles  in  the  low  lands  of  Central  America       .        .     134 
Entrance  to  the  king's  house.     "  A  shed  protected  the 
entrance  from  the  rains,  and  formed  an  open 
veranda  where  horses  were  tied,  and  the  Indians 

gathered  at  times  " 146 

Josecito.     Heir  to  the  kingship  among  the  Talamanca 

Indians 155 

Josecito 156 

The  private  house  of  Antonio,  King  of  the  Talamancas    160 
Talamanca  Indians.     Men  who  are  almost  wild  crea- 
tures of  the  woods.     The  Indian  on  the  left  is  the 
man  who  prepared  the  models  of  the  dead  as  if  for 

burial    . 166 

Model  of  a  dead  Talamancan  Indian  prepared  for  lay- 
ing out  in  the  woods.  A  tambour  back  of  the 
model,  and  above  it  articles  of  adornment  used  at 
the  dance  for  the  dead 172 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAOB 

Cartagena,  Colombia.    View  outside  the  city  wall      .     178 

Natives  catching  fish.  Men  who  tell  of  the  quicharo 
and  other  strange  objects  believed  to  inhabit  their 
rivers 190 

Map  illustrating  the  canoe  route  from  the  Caribbean 

to  the  Pacific 198 

Cartagena,  Colombia.  View  across  the  harbour,  where 
the  principal  trading  centre  will  be  located  when 
the  canoe  route  from  the  Caribbean  to  the  Pacific 
is  developed 212 

Low  tide  in  the  Pacific  off  Panama     ....    216 

A  Spanish-American  country  town.  Through  the 
American  tropics  there  is  great  similarity  among 
the  towns  and  villages,  and  all  look  very  much 
alike 220 

Atlantic  entrance  to  the  Panama  Canal       .        .        .     224 

Maps  of  Nicaragua  and  Panama  Canal  routes  drawn 

on  exactly  the  same  scale 236 

Crater  of  Poas,  one  of  the  volcanoes  of  Costa  Rica, 
among  the  mountains  south  of  the  Nicaragua 
Canal  route 238 

Crater  of  Irazu.  A  silent  volcano  of  Costa  Rica  over- 
looking the  Nicaragua  Canal  route        .         .         .     240 

City  of  Barranquilla,  Colombia.      One  of  the  most 

rapidly  developing  places  in  South  America         .     242 

Market-place  in  Madellen,  Colombia   ....     246 

Street  in  Dibulla,  a  little  town  at  the  back  of  the  Sierra 

Nevada  de  Santa  Marta  mountains  in  Colombia    .     258 

Portrait  of  an  Aurohuaco  Indian.  The  people  who 
deserted  their  city  when  our  party  proposed  to 
visit  them 278 

An  Aurohuaco  Indian,  one  of  the  men  who  might  have 
rolled  great  rocks  down  on  us  from  the  mountains 
had  we  remained  in  their  .country         .        .        .     284 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


A  Goajira  Indian  woman  of  high  position  among  her 
people 

Collection  of  articles  used  by  the  Goajira  Indians 
exhibited  at  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  New  York 

Goajira  Indians.     A  marriageable  girl  offered  by  her 

uncles 310 

Belts  used  by  the  Goajira  Indians.  Their  principal 
clothing  during  war  and  hunting  expeditions 

Goajira  Indians  prepared  for  hunting  or  war 

Tumas.  Beautiful  red  beads  found  in  ancient  graves 
among  the  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta  moun- 
tains, used  by  the  Goajira  Indians  and  considered 
priceless.  The  bullet-shaped  specimens  at  base  of 
picture  are  similar  to  the  bead  given  to  Ramon 

The  road  over  the  Andes  to  Bogota,  Colombia    . 

Scene  in  a  Spanish-American  city  of  the  uplands 
Bolivar  Square,  Bogota,  Colombia 

Steamboat  on  the  Magdalena  River     . 

A  house  in  the  interior  of  Jamaica.  Occupied  by  one 
of  the  independent  land-owning  negroes  of  that 
island    .        .   * 358 

The  wild  mountains  of  the  interior  of  Jamaica,  British 

West  Indies .     364 

In  tropical  America  the  poor  labour  under  heavy 

burdens 372 


296 


306 


314 
318 


332 
342 

346 
350 


-^ 


AROUND  THE  CARIBBEAN 

AND 

ACROSS  PANAMA 


CHAPTER    I. 

GOING    SOUTH 

One  cannot  explore  the  Caribbean  regions  in 
a  month  or  even  in  a  year,  and  it  is  some  time 
ago  that  I  found  myself  with  a  considerable 
undertaking  in  view,  the  exploration  of  all  that 
country  for  the  South  American  Land  &  Ex- 
ploration Co.,  Ltd. 

Plans  had  been  carefully  considered,  and  I  was 
to  go  alone,  use  my  own  judgment  as  to  finding 
companions  on  the  way,  and  explore  the  gold 
regions,  the  timber  lands,  the  rubber  forests, 
and  other  resources  of  the  tropics.     I  crossed 

1 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

and  recrossed  the  Caribbean  Sea  many  times, 
but  for  convenience  in  relating  all  that  hap- 
pened I  will  crowd  the  incidents  of  a  long  period 
into  a  tale  as  of  one  continuous  journey. 

Going  south  is  very  easy.  Comfortable 
steamers  leave  New  York  at  regular  intervals; 
the  traveller  at  ease  on  his  way  watches  the 
waters  of  the  ocean  change  day  by  day  to  the 
deep  blue  of  the  tropical  seas,  feels  the  air  grow 
warmer  as  the  breezes  come  up  from  the  south ; 
a  glimpse  of  green  islands  in  the  distance,  be- 
yond them  the  sweeping  trade-winds  and  tur- 
bulent blue  waters  of  the  Caribbean ;  then  a  line 
of  mountains,  gray  in  the  distance,  and  in  a 
little  time  the  steamer  anchors  near  the  shore. 
A  strange  odour  of  swamps  and  forests  fills 
the  air,  a  damp  clinging  heat  settles  oppres- 
sively about  one.  Presently  a  crew  of  natives 
comes  aboard,  some  in  rough  cotton  clothes, 
one  or  two  in  gaudy,  ill-fitting  uniforms,  and 
some  dressed  in  a  mixture  of  both,  looking 
strangely  incongruous  and  not  very  clean. 
Now  one  is  to  leave  the  steamer,  and  the  ex- 
pectant traveller  goes  ashore  with  the  motley 
crew  of  natives,  amused  perhaps  at  noticing 
how  they  all  shout  out  orders  and  direct  one 

2 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

another.  When  the  boat  reaches  land,  one  may 
find  a  rough  wharf,  but  at  most  places  only  a 
lot  of  sheds  marks  the  landing,  where  there  is 
a  stretch  of  white  sand  burning  hot  under  the 
sun  of  the  tropics,  a  few  straggling  bushes, 
some  cocoanut-trees,  —  ragged  specimens  toss- 
ing to  and  fro  in  the  wind,  or  drooping  listlessly 
if  the  day  is  still,  —  patches  of  coarse  grass, 
a  vault  of  blue  overhead  where  surely  a  group 
of  buzzards  will  be  circling  about,  and  every- 
where intense  burning  heat.  One  hurries  to  the 
nearest  protecting  shade,  and  is  glad  when  per- 
mission is  received  from  the  custom-house  au- 
thorities to  leave  the  landing-place  and  seek 
the  interior  of  one  of  the  low,  cool  houses  in 
the  city  beyond. 

Under  such  conditions,  I  arrived  at  the  little 
seaport  of  Truxillo,  in  Spanish  Honduras. 
The  details  of  the  scene  were  not  pleasing,  but 
the  broad  expanse  of  the  blue  ocean,  the  intense 
sky,  the  great  jungles  stretching  away  below 
the  city,  and  the  lofty  mountains  toward  the 
interior  combined  under  the  flood  of  glowing 
sunlight  to  form  a  scene  of  dreamy  loveliness. 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    II. 

CAMPING    ON    THE    COAST    OF    SPANISH    HONDURAS 

A  FEW  days  in  Truxillo,  and  I  started  down 
the  coast  in  a  small  sailboat  with  some  adven- 
turous Americans  and  a  goodly  company  of 
negro  passengers. 

These  daring  Americans  were  taking  me  to 
see  property  and  mines,  in  which  they,  with  some 
of  my  friends  in  New  York,  were  interested. 
Their  time  was  passed  in  praising  each  other, 
drinking,  telling  me  of  the  great  things  they 
had  done,  and  in  doing  me  for  money.  It  was 
all  part  of  a  prearranged  plan,  and  had  to  be 
tolerated. 

As  we  stood  along  the  coast  I  saw  a  succession 
of  low,  sandy  beaches,  a  tangled  growth  of 
jungle  beyond,  and  then  a  range  of  blue  moun- 
tains in  the  distance. 

After  three  days  under  a  tropical  sun,  the 

4 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

captain  informed  us  that  we  had  arrived  off  our 
destination,  the  inlet  of  Brewer's  Lagoon,  and 
that  he  would  put  about  for  the  shore,  remind- 
ing us  that  he  did  not  guarantee  a  safe  entrance, 
and  in  case  of  loss  the  damage  was  for  our  ac- 
count. 

Passengers  were  ordered  below,  but  the  cap- 
tain allowed  me  to  stay  on  deck,  perhaps  because 
I  had  taken  the  tiller  for  part  of  the  time  on  the 
way  down,  and  had  gotten  along  fairly  well 
sailing  the  boat. 

"  What  will  happen  to  us,"  I  asked,  "  if  the 
boat  runs  aground?  " 

"  Do  you  see  those  big  waves  ?  "  the  captain 
replied,  in  the  low,  deep  voice  common  to  the 
negroes,  but  with  the  most  perfect  enunciation, 
and  no  sign  of  negro  dialect.  "  There  are  the 
shifting  sand-banks ;  the  channel  is  never  the 
same ;  it  is  always  changing ;  if  we  ground,  the 
boat  will  be  beaten  to  pieces;  our  people  will 
swim  ashore,  but  the  sharks  will  eat  white  men ; 
you  were  not  made  for  these  countries.  Don't 
talk  to  me  now." 

Surely  a  pleasant  prospect.  I  had  sailed 
many  a  small  boat  in  rough  water,  and  was  not 
at   all   afraid   of   a   swim ;    but   the   sharks,  — 

5 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

how  awful  it  would  be  to  feel  their  great  jaws 
close  on  a  leg,  and  then  be  torn  to  pieces  by  a 
company  of  them  attracted  by  the  blood! 

"Are  there  really  many  sharks?"  I  asked, 
in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes ;    don't  talk,"  answered  the  captain. 

A  big  negro  called  Tom,  a  perfect  specimen 
of  health  and  strength,  said  to  me :  "  See  that 
swirl  in  the  water  over  there,  and  see  that  thing 
moving  just  ahead  of  the  boat.  They  are  gath- 
ering all  around  us.  Here  dead  animals  float  out 
to  sea ;   that  is  why  they  come." 

We  were  approaching  the  shore  now.  Great, 
muddy  waves  rose  up  with  a  threatening  comb, 
rippled  into  a  foaming  line  along  the  top,  and 
then  settled  down  again.  I  could  see  no  sign 
of  an  inlet,  but  still  the  little  boat  kept  on,  the 
captain  now  giving  orders  in  his  native  tongue, 
a  remnant  of  African  memories  used  all  along 
the  coast.  The  men  stood  at  their  places,  and 
then,  swinging  the  sail  full  to  the  wind,  the  cap- 
tain stood  directly  for  the  shore.  For  a  moment 
we  ran  quietly  before  the  wind,  then  a  great  sigh 
seemed  to  rise  up  among  the  waves,  and  with  a 
trembling  and  dragging  the  boat  went  grinding 
along  the  bottom.     Behind  us  came  a  rolling 

6 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

wave,  in  which,  as  it  rushed  toward  us,  I  pic- 
tured thousands  of  evilly  disposed  sharks;  in 
another  instant  the  boat  went  staggering  on, 
then  it  came  down  on  its  side,  and  seemed  to  be 
endeavouring  to  bury  itself  in  the  sand;  waves 
were  now  breaking  all  about  us,  and  we  were 
not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the  shore.  Once 
more  the  boat  rose  up  and  staggered  forward, 
came  down  with  a  bang,  that  sent  us  all  on  our 
backs;  the  next  instant  a  wave  dashed  over  us, 
and  then,  with  a  grinding  and  dragging,  while 
the  men  shouted  out  to  each  other,  the  boat 
seemed  to  make  a  final  effort  and  floated  gently 
into  quiet  water  behind  the  bar.  Here  a  cur- 
rent was  running  out  to  sea  like  a  mill-race, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  she  could  be  brought 
around  to  the  wind  and  started  toward  the  inlet. 

"  We  disappointed  the  sharks  that  time,"  the 
captain  said,  while  the  men  began  making  vows 
that  they  would  never  come  again  with  such  a 
heavy  cargo. 

Then  all  the  passengers  began  talking  at 
once,  but  I  felt  little  patience  to  hear  them,  and, 
going  to  the  bow  of  the  boat,  sat  on  the  guard- 
rail beside  Tom,  who  gave  a  kind  of  sympa- 
thetic rub  up  against  me,  a  movement  expres- 

7 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

sive  of  satisfaction,  such  as  a  great  dog  gives 
at  times,  and  then  said,  "  You  needn't  look  so 
white  and  frightened  about  it;  we  would  have 
taken  care  of  you,  anyway." 

A  landing  was  made  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
sand  point  at  Brewer's  Lagoon.  I  scrambled 
over  the  side  of  the  boat,  and  immediately  a 
painful,  smarting  sting  developed  on  my  face 
and  hands,  caused  by  the  sand-flies,  tiny  ene- 
mies, too  numerous  to  combat;  and  soon  they 
converted  our  hopeful  company  into  as  quar- 
relsome a  set  of  individuals  as  ever  made  them- 
selves disagreeable  to  one  another  in  a  tropical 
country.  The  negro  sailors  did  not  mind  the 
sand-flies  very  much,  and  they  soon  had  the 
cargo  on  shore;  then  the  boat  prepared  to  go 
away.  I  wanted  Tom  to  stay  with  me,  but  he 
would  not  hear  of  it,  and  urged  that  I  should 
return  with  them,  but  that  could  not  be.  Tom 
had  been  a  faithful  servant,  and  I  felt  I  should 
miss  him  sadly;  for  continued  good  nature, 
strong,  steady  muscles,  and  a  faithful  spirit 
are  rarely  found,  especially  in  the  tropics.  As 
the  boat  sailed  away,  I  was  lonely  and  dis- 
couraged, and  determined  that  when  I  returned 


8 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

to  Truxillo  I  would  engage  Tom  for  a  long 
cruise;    but  I  never  saw  him  after. 

A  circumstance  not  a  little  to  be  regretted 
in  a  traveller's  life,  is  the  parting  from  faithful 
people.  One  meets  with  many  who  are  compan- 
ionable and  worthy  of  esteem,  —  rough  Indian 
guides,  courageous  and  true;  vigorous  negroes, 
ready  to  dare  anything  in  one's  service;  cour- 
teous officials,  kind  friends,  and  charming  host- 
esses ;  and  at  parting  one  resolves  he  will  meet 
them  at  some  future  time,  but  often  they  are 
never  seen  again. 

On  the  sand  point  at  Brewer's  Lagoon  our 
camp  settled  itself  to  await  the  pleasure  of  the 
Mosquito  Indians  who  were  to  take  us  on  our 
way.  The  days  were  not  pleasant,  but  after  I 
found  that  a  mixture  of  kerosene  oil,  carbolic 
acid,  and  vaseline,  if  smeared  thick  enough  on 
the  hands  and  face,  would  keep  the  sand-flies 
from  bothering,  life  became  tolerable,  and  the 
evenings  were  always  charming,  for  then  the 
sand-flies  went  away,  and  the  mosquitoes  did  not 
come  till  late. 

When  one  has  nothing  but  corned  meat  in 
tins,  it  is  really  noticeable  with  what  eagerness 
one    starts    on    the    chase,    and,    when    evening 

9 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

came,  I  was  always  ready  to  take  my  rifle  and 
follow  any  guide  who  might  be  willing  to  lead 
the  way.  At  our  camp  there  was  a  negro  called 
Big  George,  who  stood  six  feet  four,  and  knew 
all  the  country  round  about.  Frequently,  after 
sunset,  he  and  I  would  go  among  the  sand-dunes 
looking  for  deer.  We  never  got  anything. 
Big  George  said  I  talked  too  much,  but  I  am 
not  so  sure  about  that. 

One  night  we  determined  to  follow  the  beach 
looking  for  turtles.  It  was  a  beautiful  experi- 
ence; under  the  intense  moonlight  the  sand 
looked  like  a  pathway  of  silver  stretching  out 
in  the  distance,  with  the  ocean  and  the  jungle, 
one  on  either  hand,  each  shrouded  with  the  mys- 
tery of  night;  from  the  ocean  the  sound  of  the 
waves  breaking  along  the  shore,  and  from  the 
jungle  the  cries  of  wild  animals  —  weird  voices 
from  creatures  unseen.  Strange  surroundings, 
intensified  by  the  presence  of  fierce  semi-naked 
Indians,  who,  following  one  after  the  other, 
went  like  shadows  stealing  silently  along  the 
sand ! 

On  and  on  we  went,  our  hopes  frequently 
raised,  to  be  followed  only  by  disappointment. 
Sometimes  it  was  a  log  glistening  in  the  moon- 

10 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

light;  again  a  patch  of  shells  would  so  much 
resemble  a  turtle  that  out  steps  would  quicken 
impulsively.  Finally,  Big  George  said  it  was 
of  no  use;  the  moon  was  too  clear.  But  just 
then  something  unusually  bright  in  the  distance 
caught  my  attention,  and  hurrying  on,  we  saw 
that  this  time  a  really  large  turtle  was  just 
before  us,  resting  quietly  on  the  sand.  Now 
all  was  excitement.  Nearer  and  nearer  we  crept. 
The  turtle,  all  unsuspecting,  remained  quiet; 
then  suddenly  its  head  was  raised  for  an  instant 
only,  and  it  started  clumsily  for  the  water. 
Immediately  the  Indians  were  upon  it,  and  for 
a  moment  I  could  not  tell  which  was  Indian  and 
which  was  turtle.  In  the  general  confusion  one 
man  was  sent  rolling  over  and  over  at  a  blow 
from  one  of  the  flippers;  in  an  instant  he  was 
on  it  again,  and  then  the  struggle  was  over; 
the  turtle  was  turned  on  its  back,  hauled  to  a 
safe  place,  and  we  returned  triumphantly  to 
camp. 

The  next  morning  four  Indians  said  they 
would  bring  the  turtle  in  with  ropes  if  I  would 
loan  them.  I  thought  they  must  be  very  strong, 
and  rather  doubted  their  ability,   but   I   gave 


11 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

them  such  things  as  they  wanted,  and,  taking 
my  rifle,  followed,  to  see  what  they  would  do. 
After  a  tramp  of  about  three  hours,  we 
reached  the  turtle,  finding  it  unharmed  and  just 
as  it  had  been  left  the  night  before.  The  In- 
dians began  at  once  tying  up  the  turtle  for  the 
return  to  camp.  I  could  not  help  admiring 
their  ingenuity.  A  rope  was  tied  to  each  flip- 
per, when  the  turtle  was  allowed  to  crawl  back 
to  the  water,  where  the  Indians,  holding  the 
ropes  from  the  shore,  could  guide  it  as  they 
wished.  We  went  toward  camp  with  some  en- 
thusiasm at  the  thought  of  the  supply  of  fresh 
meat  that  was  swimming  along  before  us  as  we 
walked  rapidly  over  the  hard  sand. 

Presently  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  a  river, 
where  we  all  crowded  into  a  small  canoe,  one 
man  holding  the  turtle,  and  three  attempting 
to  paddle.  But  the  turtle  was  too  strong  for 
us,  and  began  at  once  dragging  the  canoe  down 
the  river  toward  the  breakers  on  the  bar.  Here 
was  danger;  around  us  an  ever-increasing  com- 
pany of  sharks  came,  gathering  closer;  some 
even  brushed  against  the  canoe,  rocking  it  vio- 
lently, while  the  eff^orts  of  the  turtle  threatened 
to  upset  us  every  moment,  and  once  in  that  water 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

there  would  have  been  little  chance  for  us.  We 
were  now  nearing  the  breakers,  and  the  canoe 
began  to  race  ominously.  I  called  to  the  men 
to  cut  the  ropes  and  let  the  turtle  go.  One 
seized  the  hatchet,  but  at  that  instant  the  turtle 
turned  down  the  coast  instead  of  crossing  the 
bar,  and  this  gave  the  Indians  a  chance  to  reach 
the  other  shore,  and  we  soon  had  the  turtle 
hauled  up  close  by  camp.  That  night  he  was 
made  into  soup,  a  whole  turtle  stewed  in  a  great 
iron  pot,  and  it  was  good. 

As  the  days  went  on,  my  companions  con- 
tinued to  drink  freely,  and  presently  the  camp 
ran  dry,  that  is,  all  the  spirits  had  been  con- 
sumed. This  wasn't  my  fault,  and  I  was  rather 
well  satisfied;  but  my  companions  were  most 
unhappy,  and  the  superintendent  ordered  that 
I  immediately  provide  the  money  for  a  fresh 
supply.  I  had  all  the  funds  for  the  expedition, 
which,  in  some  respects,  was  fortunate,  though 
I  hardly  think  that  expedition  would  ever  have 
gone  to  water ;  yet,  except  the  money  had  been 
in  my  hands,  it  would  never  have  gone  very 
far. 

After  thinking  for  a  few  moments,  I  declined 
to  provide  more  drink,  and  prepared  to  face  a 

13 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

storm,  which  came  on  in  good  earnest,  —  a  wind 
of  words  before  which  I  finally  weakened.  I  was 
still  very  young  then,  and  had  frequently  read 
of  the  necessity  of  spirits  on  an  exploring  ex- 
pedition, especially  for  snake-bites,  exhaustion, 
etc. 

I  decided  to  go  myself  to  a  trading-station 
some  miles  away,  and  bring  to  camp  six  bottles 
of  cheap  liquor,  —  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and 
other  things,  called  brandy,  which  ought  to 
have  been  more  fatal  than  a  snake-bite. 

Taking  two  Indians,  I  started  for  a  long 
tramp  to  the  trading-station.  There  was  little 
of  incident,  but  much  that  was  beautiful,  the 
influence  of  which  was  probably  enhanced  by 
the  sense  of  harmony  and  the  satisfaction  I 
had  left  behind  among  the  members  of  the  expe- 
dition. Through  dense  jungles,  the  trail  led 
on  and  on,  the  Indians  never  hesitating  for  an 
instant,  till  finally  we  reached  an  open  savannah, 
where  we  stopped  to  rest,  with  a  beautiful  ex- 
panse of  green  before  us,  containing  some 
square  miles  of  grass,  dotted  with  groups  of 
fine  trees,  through  which  the  distant  mountains 
could  be  seen,  a  bold  outline  in  beautiful  pro- 
spective. 

14 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Starting  on  again,  we  presently  came  to  the 
traders'  camp,  where  I  bought  six  bottles  of 
brandy,  and,  after  resting  my  men  and  giving 
them  a  feed,  started  back  for  camp,  each  Indian 
carrying  three  bottles  of  the  brandy  and  look- 
ing the  picture  of  misery  while  they  trudged 
along  in  front  of  me,  endeavouring  to  get  away 
by  themselves.  Finally  they  became  worked  up 
into  such  a  state  of  excitement  that,  for  safety, 
I  promised  to  give  them  each  a  drink  when  we 
got  to  camp,  and  after  that  I  could  not  go  fast 
enough  for  them. 

At  sunset  we  reached  camp,  and  all  came 
crowding  around  eager  for  brandy.  One  bottle 
was  given  to  the  superintendent,  who  immedi- 
ately partook  liberally  himself;  and  then  he 
began  treating  all  hands,  and  soon  came  back 
for  a  fresh  supply.  But  I  had  placed  the  five 
remaining  bottles  in  a  suitable  box,  nailed  down 
the  lid,  and  put  my  seal  over  the  cracks,  as  one 
does  when  shipping  bullion;  then  I  announced 
that  that  brandy  was  mine,  and  threatened  all 
the  law  and  prosecution  of  the  courts  on  any 
one  who  dared  to  break  my  seal.  Then  there 
was  a  racket,  before  which  I  winced  and  trem- 
bled, but  would  not  give  in;   for,  though  I  was 

15 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

afraid  all  through,  I  was  mad  also,  and  that 
helped  me  out. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  the  superintendent  look 
at  the  impression  of  my  crest  on  the  box,  and 
then  turn  away  doubtfully  and  consult  with  the 
Spaniards;  but  they  seemed  to  consider  that  I 
had  the  law  on  my  side,  and  it  is  remarkable 
what  a  little  thing  will  hold  men  in  check. 
Finally  the  camp  quieted  down,  and  after  a 
cold  supper  I  went  to  bed.  Before  I  turned  in, 
the  cook,  a  rough  fellow  named  Brown,  slapped 
me  on  the  back  and  said,  "  Wal,  now,  for  a  kid, 
that  war  purty  well  done,"  and  then  he  went 
away  laughing.  I  was  very  indignant  that  any 
one  should  call  me  kid,  and  went  to  sleep  plan- 
ning how  it  should  be  stopped. 


16 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    III. 

INDIANS    AND    MOSQUITOES 

Now  the  days  dragged  and  time  was  heavy 
on  our  hands,  and  it  appeared  as  though  the 
Indians  never  would  be  ready  to  take  us  on, 
but  one  morning  a  whole  fleet  of  canoes  ap- 
peared, brought  by  a  goodly  company  of  In- 
dians who  had  come  to  take  us  to  their  village. 

Under  the  direction  of  their  chief,  our  goods 
were  shortly  distributed  among  the  canoes,  and 
in  a  long  procession  we  started  across  the  la- 
goon, a  sheet  of  water  formed  quite  the  same 
as  the  shallow  lagoons  along  our  Atlantic  coast, 
but  surrounded  with  vegetation  of  bewildering 
density.  The  water  was  very  shallow,  and  the 
canoes  made  good  progress.  After  some  hours 
we  saw  in  the  distance  a  collection  of  cocoanut- 
trees  floating  as  it  were  above  the  water.  They 
mark  one  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  Mos- 

17 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

quito  Indians,  a  place  where  dark  stories  linger, 
tales  of  the  Indians  and  their  cruelty.  Arriv- 
ing at  this  place  in  the  late  afternoon,  I  saw 
only  a  low,  muddy  shore,  and  groups  of  huts 
clustered  together  among  the  trees. 

As  we  came  up  to  the  landing,  women  and 
children  crowded  about,  talking  eagerly,  and 
anxious  to  see  everything  we  had.  Climbing 
over  the  side  of  a  great  canoe,  I  stood  for  the 
first  time  on  the  native  land  of  the  Indians,  and 
it  would  have  been  hard  to  tell  which  were  the 
more  interested,  I  or  the  Indians  crowding  about 
me.  The  girls  were  graceful ;  the  younger  ones 
beautiful.  The  children  were  bright  and  pretty, 
like  little  fairies,  almost;  but  the  older  women 
were  worn  and  bent  by  labour.  The  men  showed 
all  too  clearly  the  signs  of  unrestricted  dissipa- 
tion. They  were  of  rather  dark  skin,  and 
among  some  there  were  marked  traces  of  negro 
blood.  Their  huts  were  oblong,  rounded  at  the 
ends;  they  were  made  by  driving  palmetto- 
trunks  into  the  ground  and  covered  with  a 
thatched  roof  of  palm-leaves.  The  children 
wore  but  little  clothing;  the  women  used  a 
short  skirt  and  little  shawl,  and  the  men  wore 
pantaloons  and  a  short  coat,  only  partially  cov- 

18 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

ering  the  abdomen.  All  were  friendly,  and  in 
a  very  short  time  willing  hands  took  our  sup- 
plies from  the  canoes,  and  then  made  us  welcome, 
with  presents  of  fruits  and  game.  All  our 
things  were  stored  in  one  of  the  larger  huts,  and 
we  were  given  a  place  near  by,  in  which  we  were 
to  live,  —  a  very  comfortable  hut,  with  mahog- 
any boards  for  the  floor. 

Soon  people  grew  tired  of  looking  at  us,  and 
went  about  their  own  affairs.  The  women  busied 
themselves  preparing  food,  and  presently  seated 
before  the  huts  were  groups  of  people,  eating, 
talking,  and  laughing,  evidently  secure  in  the 
abundance  of  the  present  and  the  promises  of 
the  future,  with  no  care  at  all. 

In  a  little  time  the  family  groups  began  to 
disappear,  and  laughing  and  talking  could  be 
heard  from  under  heavy  canopies;  and  from 
the  surrounding  jungles  a  distant  hum,  rising 
up  and  dying  away,  could  be  heard  constantly 
growing  louder,  and  apparently  drawing  nearer. 
Most  of  the  people  had  disappeared  by  this 
time,  and  the  chief  now  shouted  to  us,  "  Get 
under  the  mosquito  canopies;  don't  you  hear 
them  coming?  " 

We  had  been  provided  with  canopies  before 

19 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

leaving  the  settlements,  and,  finding  that  the 
Indians  had  been  careful  to  hang  them  in  our 
hut,  we  hurried  under  cover.  For  a  time  I  lay 
awake,  listening  in  wonder  to  the  myriads  of 
mosquitoes  that  came  swarming  about.  This 
was  the  Mosquito  Coast,  and  I  began  to  under- 
stand how,  at  night,  the  mosquitoes  are  a  real 
danger,  and  to  sleep  without  a  heavy  canopy 
would  truly  mean  death. 

A  day  or  two  later,  in  the  early  morning, 
when  the  fog  was  thick  among  the  marshes,  and 
the  mist  hung  low  over  the  water,  I  left  the 
little  Indian  village  under  the  cocoanut-trees  on 
Brewer's  Lagoon,  and  began  a  long  journey, 
canoeing  up  the  Rio  Patuca  of  Spanish  Hon- 
duras. I  had  been  pleasantly  entertained  at 
the  village,  but  my  late  friends  were  apparently 
so  indifferent  at  my  going  that  I  began  to  lose 
faith  in  the  Indians,  while  stories  that  I  had 
heard  of  their  cruelty  and  treachery  were  con- 
stantly suggesting  themselves'  to  my  thoughts. 
My  white  companions  were  rough,  boasting, 
quarrelsome  men,  not  pleasant  travelling  com- 
panions; and  from  them  I  separated  myself, 
and  found  a  comfortable  place  in  one  of  the 
smaller  canoes  alone  with  three  Indians,  about 

20 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

whom  I  really  knew  nothing.  Soon  the  Indian 
village  was  lost  in  the  gray  light  of  the  morn- 
ing, and  then  we  were  surrounded  by  fog  and 
desolation.  Along  the  shores  of  the  lagoon 
were  dead  or  dying  trees,  gaunt  and  naked; 
about  us  were  quantities  of  water-fowl,  and  in 
the  water  were  many  watchful  alligators.  Our 
progress  was  slow,  for  the  shallow  water  was 
choked  with  plants  and  decaying  vegetation. 
About  noon  we  made  a  branch  of  the  Patuca 
Hiver,  where  a  volume  of  muddy  water  came 
pouring  out  of  a  narrow  channel,  surrounded 
by  great  stretches  of  marsh  land  covered  with 
tall  reeds  and  extending  for  miles.  Progress 
was  slow,  and  the  clumsy  boat  designed  by  the 
superintendent  of  the  expedition  could  scarcely 
be  held  against  the  current. 

By  nightfall  we  had  made  perhaps  one  or 
two  miles,  and  then,  the  mosquitoes  appearing, 
we  were  forced  to  prepare  a  hasty  camp  on  a 
mud-bank.  Such  a  night !  Before  my  mosquito 
bar  was  up,  I  had  caught  a  net  full  of  them, 
and  as  the  hours  wore  away  held  a  boxing- 
match  with  myself,  and  perhaps  killed  some 
mosquitoes,  but  I  am  not  sure;  in  that  country 
mosquitoes  are  different  from  the  harmless  little 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

insects  at  home.  They  are  like  rubber;  to  kill 
them  one  must  use  force  enough  to  cause  some 
inconvenience,  and  that  night  I  punished  my- 
self severely.  Next  morning  came  with  fog  and 
light  rain,  just  the  weather  for  mosquitoes; 
and  the  Indians  predicted  that  we  would  have 
a  bad  time.  We  didn't  stop  to  eat  much,  and 
were  soon  under  way  again,  making  better  prog- 
ress than  on  the  day  before.  I  travelled  with 
my  three  Indians,  who  were  working  vigorously 
to  keep  up  with  the  larger  boat.  They  were 
almost  naked,  and  the  quantities  of  mosquitoes 
made  their  flesh  quiver;  yet  they  bent  deter- 
minedly to  their  work.  Presently  we  passed 
under  a  group  of  willow-trees,  and  I  picked  a 
bunch  of  soft  withes  to  keep  the  mosquitoes  from 
my  hands  and  face.  One  of  the  withes  was  very 
long,  and  I  found  that  by  using  a  Httle  energy 
I  could  send  it  gently  over  the  backs  and  shoul- 
ders of  my  suffering  men,  and  at  the  same  time 
protect  my  own  face  and  hands.  Presently  my 
white  companions  noticed  my  efforts,  and  from 
the  larger  boat  set  up  a  derisive  shouting,  say- 
ing, with  many  unpleasant  words,  that  it  was 
no  use  to  do  anything  for  an  Indian,  I  would 
learn  quickly  enough.     The  Indians  said  noth- 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

ing;  neither  did  they  make  any  sign  of  thanks, 
though  at  each  derisive  shout  and  taunting  re- 
mark I  noticed  an  ugly  light  flash  in  their  eyes, 
but  there  was  no  other  change  of  expression. 
Then  we  fell  behind  the  big  boat,  and  I  was 
alone  with  them.  Dinner-time  came;  the  big 
boat  was  far  in  advance  of  us,  and  my  men  had 
nothing  to  eat.  Their  leader  asked  me,  "  You 
eat  now? "  and  on  being  told  that  I  would, 
stopped  the  canoe  at  a  convenient  point  and 
spread  out  the  bountiful  lunch  that  had  been 
provided  for  me.  Then  they  went  back  to  the 
canoe  and  sat  in  stolid  dejection,  waiting  for 
me  to  finish.  I  immediately  called  them,  pro- 
posing to  divide  what  food  I  had  equally.  They 
came  with  some  hesitation ;  each  took  the  offered 
food,  but  made  no  sign  of  thanks,  not  even  an 
expression  of  gratitude  on  their  faces.  My  dog 
received  a  share  of  the  food,  and  it  laid  its  head 
affectionately  on  my  knee  and  wagged  its  tail 
in  appreciation;  but  the  Indians  simply  ate, 
and  made  no  sign.  I  was  disgusted.  Truly 
there  was  reason  in  all  the  derision  of  my  white 
companions.  We  started  on  presently,  but  there 
was  a  sort  of  misunderstanding  among  us.  I 
sat  in  the  canoe,  brushing  the  mosquitoes  from 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

my  hands  and  face,  and  let  the  men  shift  for 
themselves,  thinking  that  there  was  no  use  do- 
ing anything  for  an  Indian;  but  common  hu- 
manity could  not  bear  the  sight  of  their  quiver- 
ing, naked  flesh,  and  the  next  moment  I  was 
brushing  the  mosquitoes  from  them,  as  before, 
wondering  at  their  strange,  unfeeling  natures. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  we  overtook  the  large 
boat,  and  found  that  preparations  were  being 
made  to  camp  on  a  high,  wooded  bank,  that 
promised  well  for  the  night.  I  got  out  my 
mosquito  bar,  meaning  to  arrange  it  early,  be- 
fore the  mosquitoes  came;  but  no  sooner  had 
I  started  for  the  shore  than  the  leader  of  my 
men  gave  the  youngest  a  savage  cuff  across  the 
ear  and  pointed  to  the  bundle,  which  the  young 
man  immediately  ran  to  take  from  me.  I  was 
well  tired,  and  only  too  pleased  to  give  it  up, 
and  scarcely  noticed  that  my  men  were  busily 
at  work  arranging  it  for  me  —  and  they  did  it 
well,  too.  When  supper  was  ready  and  we  sat 
around  eating  as  best  we  could  hardtack  and 
canned  corned  beef,  with  strong  coffee,  one  of 
my  men  came  softly  behind  me  and  put  a  fine 
piece  of  roasted  turtle  on  my  plate,  and  went 
away,  not  even  waiting  for  thanks.     Of  course, 

24 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  shared  it  with  my  white  companions,  and  we 
all  found  it  a  welcome  addition  to  our  limited 
supply.  Then  the  mosquitoes  drove  us  under 
our  nets,  and  we  tried  to  sleep ;  but  a  fierce 
storm,  now  rapidly  approaching,  made  us  anx- 
ious, and  we  lay  awake  waiting.  The  perspira- 
tion was  trickling  down  my  face;  then  for  a 
moment  a  breath  of  cool  air  came,  blowing 
through  the  net,  followed  by  a  crashing  and 
roaring  as  the  storm  closed  in  around  us,  — 
wind,  thunder,  lightning,  and  torrents  of  rain. 
No  tent  could  turn  such  a  volume  of  water, 
and  presently  it  was  coming  through  in  streams. 
All  the  place  was  drenched,  and  pools  of  water 
formed  where  my  companions  had  made  their 
beds;  but  where  I  lay  the  ground  had  been 
banked  up,  and  no  water  collected,  and  for  some 
unaccountable  reason  no  water  came  through 
my  part  of  the  tent,  though  long,  bitter  curses, 
coming  from  my  companions,  showed  how  they 
were  faring;  yet  I  was  cool  and  comfortable 
and  presently  fell  asleep. 

Morning  came  bright  and  clear  after  the 
storm,  and,  on  scrambling  out  from  under  the 
tent,  I  saw  that  my  Indians  had  left  their  beds, 
and  in  all  that  storm  had  collected  quantities  of 

25 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

big  leaves  and  arranged  them  on  the  tent  over 
my  bed,  that  I  might  sleep  unharmed.  Truly 
their  ways  are  not  as  our  ways,  and  it  is  of 
some  use  to  show  kindness  to  the  Indians.  I 
understood  them  after  that,  and  we  were  the 
best  of  friends.  Through  all  that  journey  I 
had  but  to  express  a  wish,  and  eager  hands 
were  ready  to  serve  me.  Of  course  I  shared  my 
provisions,  and  kept  the  mosquitoes  off  them; 
but  that  was  not  much  to  do,  and  they  gave 
in  return  of  fruits,  game,  and  all  that  they 
had;  nor  were  they  ever  contented  till  I  had 
taken  the  best  of  everything  that  they  secured ; 
yet  never  an  expression  of  thanks  in  their  silent 
faces,  only  now  and  then  a  light  in  their  e^^es 
that  shone  for  an  instant  and  then  disappeared. 
Through  all  that  trip  up  the  river  the  water 
was  at  full  flood,  the  rainy  season  on  in  force, 
and  all  nature  at  its  best.  Each  turn  of  the 
river  opened  to  new  delights  of  tropical  luxuri- 
ance, a  wall  of  green  on  either  hand,  a  torrent 
of  muddy  water  crowding,  chafing,  and  filling 
the  air  with  a  subdued,  but  ominous,  murmur- 
ing; bands  of  dark,  forbidding  clouds,  beating 
showers,  with  alternate  periods  of  bright  sun- 
shine, and  everywhere  the  fragrance  of  count- 

26 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

less  blossoms.  Of  all  that  was  beautiful,  the 
most  striking  were  the  masses  of  yellow  jessa- 
mine flowers  that  in  some  places,  where  the  vines 
had  mounted  to  the  tops  of  great  trees,  were 
seen  in  bold  outline  above  the  forest,  a  crown  of 
glory  and  fragrance.  It  was  beautiful,  but 
no  place  for  a  white  man.  Below  the  dense 
luxuriance  of  the  jungle  were  swamps  and  poi- 
soned air,  and  all  that  region  was  solitude,  given 
over  to  wild  animals  and  primeval  forests. 

Camping  in  such  places  was  not  pleasant,  and 
each  night  we  made  the  best  convenience  we 
could  on  a  mud-bank,  and,  though  my  Indians 
did  everything  possible  for  me,  I  was  beginning 
to  be  quite  miserable,  when  my  head  Indian 
said,  "  Don't  sick ;  we  sleep  dry  to-night,  and 
to-morrow  reach  houses !  " 

Our  camp  that  night  promised  to  be  the  most 
unpleasant  of  all,  and,  to  my  surprise,  the  In- 
dians did  not  arrange  my  bed  and  mosquito  bar 
as  usual.  I  soon  found  they  had  not  forgotten, 
for  after  supper  they  came  to  carry  me  on  their 
strong  backs  two  miles  through  the  swamp  to  a 
village  of  their  people.  My  white  companions 
objected,  saying,  "  You  are  a  pretty  fellow, 
going  to  leave  the  expedition,  making  up  to  the 

27 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

Indians,  and  deserting  your  friends.  Suppose 
the  river  rises,,  and  everything  exposed  to  it." 
I  stopped,  not  that  I  cared  much  about  my 
"  friends,"  but  I  felt  some  responsibility  for 
the  goods  we  carried.  The  Indians  were  dis- 
appointed, and  the  youngest  of  my  three  men 
was  told  to  stay  with  me.  Of  this  there  was  no 
need,  and  I  sent  him,  to  be  comfortable,  with 
the  others.  Then  night  settled  down  about 
camp,  and  the  sorrows  of  darkness  began, — 
rain  above,  mosquitoes  around,  and  mud  below 
us. 

At  last  morning  came,  and  the  Indians  re- 
turned from  the  village  looking  fresh  and 
rested;  but  we,  who  had  stopped  on  the  mud- 
bank,  were  a  sorry  appearing  lot.  That  day 
it  did  not  rain  so  much,  and  the  Indians  worked 
with  a  will,  so  that  by  noontime  we  reached  an 
open  savannah,  where  a  collection  of  board 
houses  and  a  ruined  sawmill  were  lonely  evi- 
dences of  an  enterprise  of  some  kind  that  was 
a  failure.  Here  we  were  to  stop  for  a  few  days, 
until  arrangements  had  been  made  with  other 
Indians  to  take  us  further  on.  Our  supplies 
were  soon  unloaded,  and  then  the  Indians  turned 
away  and  left  us,  my  own  men  going  without 

28 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

a  word  or  a  look.  I  hurried  after  them  to  say 
good-bye;  and  when  I  called  they  stopped, 
took  my  proffered  hand  with  a  surprised  ex- 
pression, and  then  went  on  again.  A  moment 
or  two  later  the  boats  disappeared  around  a 
bend  in  the  river,  and  I  never  saw  any  of  them 
again. 


29 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    IV. 

WILD    ANIMALS    AND    A    PANTHER    AT    NIGHT 

After  the  Indians  had  gone,  we  settled  down 
to  camp  again,  this  time  at  an  open  savannah 
surrounded  by  jungles.  The  superintendent  of 
the  expedition  soon  found  himself  in  difficulties. 
He  carried  a  heavy  equipment,  which  Indians 
living  near,  and  on  whom  we  were  depending, 
said  could  not  be  taken  up  the  river  to  our 
destination;  and  thereupon  a  contest  of  wills 
set  up,  the  Indians  offering  to  take  us  on 
with  a  light  equipment  selected  from  among 
our  things,  and  the  superintendent  vowing  that 
all  the  material  should  go  forward.  I  liked  the 
plan  proposed  by  the  Indians,  but  could  do  noth- 
ing except  advise,  as  my  instructions  were  to 
follow  the  superintendent  for  a  time  at  least. 

Our  camp  was  not  altogether  harmonious,  yet 
there  was  much  of  real  interest  in  our  surround- 
ings, with  occasionally  an  exciting  incident. 

30 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Every  night  jaguars,  panthers,  and  tiger-cats 
came  prowhng  about  the  camp,  filHng  the  air 
at  intervals  with  their  strange  cries.  The  tiger- 
cats  were  not  dangerous,  but  the  jaguars  and 
panthers  caused  us  some  alarm.  Of  all  the 
sounds  in  the  tropical  forests,  the  cry  of  the 
jaguar  is  the  most  awe-inspiring.  From  all 
the  tangled  growth  of  the  jungle,  a  myriad 
of  minor  voices  constantly  fills  the  early  hours 
of  the  night;  then  a  volume  of  sound  breaks 
in  on  the  harmony  of  sound;  a  roar  ending  in 
a  sudden  choking,  and  all  is  still;  from  the 
forest  no  sound  arises,  the  jaguar  has  cried  out 
on  his  pathway,  and  all  nature  pauses  as  if  in 
fear,  then,  reassured,  the  voices  of  the  minor 
animals  begin  again,  and  presently  are  heard 
as  before. 

One  night  I  heard  the  voice  of  an  unusually 
large  jaguar  coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  camp ; 
then  presently  its  deep  cry  was  heard  close  by 
the  houses,  and  all  was  still.  It  was  probably 
coming  in,  but  where?  Of  course  not  from  the 
place  where  it  had  last  cried  out;  perhaps  it 
would  sneak  along  the  river-front,  or  come 
crawling  in  through  the  long  grass  of  the  sa- 
vannah. While  I  waited  listening  a  soft 'foot- 
Si 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

fall  was  heard  just  by  the  house,  and  then  a 
stealthy  step  coming  through  an  open  room 
or  piazza.  It  is  preparing  to  attack,  was  my 
first  thought.  My  bed  was  most  exposed  —  in 
fact,  nothing  but  a  door,  covered  with  cheese- 
cloth to  keep  out  the  mosquitoes,  separated  me 
from  the  piazza.  I  sat  up  listening,  and  fancied 
I  heard  a  deep  breathing.  I  called  softly  to  my 
companion,  got  up,  found  my  pistol,  and  stood 
waiting.  Everything  was  still.  Then  I  whis- 
pered, "  Let's  go  out  and  try  for  a  shot." 

My  companion  whispered  assent,  and  then 
said  he  would  open  the  door,  and  cautioned  me 
to  be  ready  if  the  jaguar  should  spring  through 
it.  Then  he  whispered,  "  Ready  ?  "  opened  the 
door,  and  —  got  behind  it.  A  breath  of  fresh 
air  blew  in  my  face,  a  shiver  went  down  my  back. 
That  was  all.  An  instant  I  stood  waiting,  and 
then  stepped  out.  But  the  animal  had  gone  as 
stealthily  as  it  had  come.  Then  out  came  my 
companion,  all  big  words  and  flourish.  To- 
gether we  went  about  the  camp  for  a  time,  hop- 
ing for  a  shot.  Then  the  mosquitoes  drove  us 
in,  and  we  went  to  bed  again. 

As  time  passed,  wild  animals  became  more 
troublesome.     One  night  we  were  awakened  by 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

a  great  outcrying  and  cursing  coming  from 
the  cook's  quarters,  and  on  hurrying  out  found 
the  cook  with  a  big  club  in  his  hand,  and  two 
or  three  frightened  Indians  standing  behind 
him. 

"  Them  animals  beats  everything  I  did  see," 
he  said,  as  we  came  running  up.  "  But  the 
cheek  of  the  brute!  It  sneaked  right  past  my 
mosquito-net  and  went  to  eating  at  the  meat 
I  had  saving  for  breakfast.  I  drove  at  it  with 
this  club,  and  it  got  away,  through  a  hole,  I 
take  it." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  we  all  asked. 

"  Panther  —  yellow  and  big  enough  for  me, 
anyway,"  and  the  cook  looked  at  us  as  if  to 
say,  "  Those  animals  are  not  dangerous ;  it's  all 
Indian  talk."  We  advised  him  not  to  attack 
panthers  with  a  club  at  night,  but  if  the  thing 
came  again  to  call  us.  Then,  after  talking  a 
little,  we  hurried  to  our  mosquito  bars,  not  hav- 
ing noticed  till  then  how  the  insects  were  swarm- 
ing around  us. 

Next  morning  the  cook  said  to  me :  "  Mr. 
Frank,  I  thought  it  was  a  lot  of  rats  or  I 
wouldn't  have  done  it,  but  I  ain't  telling  that  to 
them  men,"  pointing  to  my  companions. 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

The  next  night,  shortly  after  we  went  to  bed, 
we  heard  the  cook  calhng  again,  and  hurried 
from  our  quarters  to  his  aid.  As  we  came  run- 
ning up,  his  voice  greeted  us  from  under  the 
mosquito  bar,  saying,  "  That  panther  has  come 
again,  bigger  this  time,  and  it's  gone  in  the 
cook-house." 

We  went  cautiously  and  stood  looking  in  at 
the  open  door,  where  there  was  quite  a  large 
room,  now  perfectly  dark.  We  stood  there  a 
moment;  then  I  told  the  engineer  to  hold  a 
torch  over  my  head,  and  I  would  go  in  the  room 
and  try  for  a  shot  at  the  panther.  There  was 
but  one  door,  and  I  felt  sure  of  a  shot  this 
time. 

The  engineer  called  me  a  blank,  blank  fool, 
a  kid,  a  tenderfoot,  and  said  he  would  hold  no 
light  at  that  door. 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  I'm  not  going  to  miss  this 
chance.     I'll  go  in  without  a  light." 

"  Yes,"  sneered  the  engineer,  "  tenderfoot, 
fool,  kid.  Don't  you  know  better  than  that, 
going  in  a  room  with  a  panther?  You  never 
saw  one  before,  that's  plain.  Any  mother's  baby 
would  know  better." 


$4. 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  stepped  up  to  the  door,  saying,  "  Are  you 
going  to  hold  that  light  ?  " 

"  Here,"  he  said,  "  give  me  a  torch.  Now 
go  in  and  let  the  panther  maul  you;  it  will 
serve  you  right." 

He  held  the  torch  at  the  door,  and  I  stepped 
cautiously  into  the  dimly  lighted  room.  At 
first  I  saw  nothing,  and  stood  for  what  seemed 
a  long  time,  the  engineer  telling  me  to  come 
back  while  I  could,  and  that  the  brute  was  only 
hiding.  I  didn't  like  it  very  much,  and  had  just 
determined  to  back  cautiously  out  when  I  heard 
something  stir,  and  then  over  in  the  corner  above 
a  pile  of  flour-bags  two  burning  eyes  appeared, 
glared  at  me,  and  were  motionless.  There  was 
the  game.  My  chance  had  come.  I  raised  my 
big  .44-calibre  revolver,  took  careful  aim,  shot, 
and  then  repeated,  aiming  at  the  same  place. 
Something  fell  heavily  to  the  ground,  the  en- 
gineer gave  a  sort  of  gasp,  and  exclaimed, 
"The  tenderfoot  kid,  he  did  kill  it."  Then 
everybody  crowded  into  the  room. 

We  searched  with  great  care,  but  could  not 
find  the  animal.  The  general  opinion  was  that 
it  had  been  badly  wounded,  and  had  crawled  in 
behind  some  of  the  stores,  and  we  could  get  it 

35 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

in  the  morning.  I  moved  a  barrel  and  caught 
sight  of  a  tawny  fur,  and  made  a  grab  for  it, 
but  one  of  the  men  caught  my  arm  and  held  me 
back,  saying,  "  Those  animals  have  more  lives 
than  a  cat;  better  be  careful."  However,  the 
beast  lay  perfectly  still,  and  I  wanted  to  see 
it  that  night,  and  I  put  my  hand  down,  feeling 
it  carefully  for  a  moment,  then  took  hold  with 
both  hands,  braced  myself,  laid  my  strength  on 
for  a  big  lift,  and  went  over  backward  as  if 
I  had  lost  my  hold.  But  I  hadn't.  My  grip 
was  good  enough,  and  so  had  been  my  aim; 
but  in  my  hands  I  held  an  unfortunate  opossum, 
and  not  a  very  large  one  at  that,  except  its  eyes, 
and  they  were  too  big  for  its  face. 

I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  that  opossum.  It 
wasn't  fit  to  eat.  I  had  nothing  against  it. 
Why  couldn't  it  have  gotten  out  of  a  hole  in 
the  roof  before  I  shot,  and  have  made  big  noise 
getting  away.?  Then  I  would  have  had  a  thrill- 
ing tale  to  tell  of  adventure  with  a  panther. 
As  it  is,.  I  only  killed  a  night-prowling  opossum, 
of  the  kind  that  smell  badly  when  one  gets  too 
near  them. 


36 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER   V. 

ALONE    IN    AN    INDIAN    VILLAGE 

As  the  days  passed  one  after  another,  I  made 
friends  with  the  neighbouring  Indians,  and 
found  them  a  kindly  disposed  people,  but  they 
were  positive  that  the  river  was  too  rough  for 
our  heavy  equipment  and  clumsy  boats,  so  the 
deadlock  continued.  In  camp,  when  troubles 
come,  life  is  a  serious  problem.  The  superin- 
tendent went  to  look  for  men,  insisting  that 
his  boats  and  heavy  equipment  should  go  up 
the  river,  wildly  declaiming  as  he  left  us  that 
the  world  contained  no  torrent  strong  enough 
to  turn  him  aside  or  check  his  plans. 

We  were  alone  now;  for  days  the  neigh- 
bouring Indians  had  refused  to  come  near  our 
camp.  The  engineer  was  dangerously  sick,  and 
the  cook  objecting  violently  to  the  burden  of 
work.      That  morning  he   said  to  me :    "  Mr. 

37 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

Frank,  it  ain't  no  ways  reasonable,  me  to  be 
cooking  and  cleaning,  cutting  wood  and  fixing 
stores;  and  with  him  sick  and  kicking  mor'n 
enough,  there  won't  be  no  getting  along  with 
it."  Then  he  sent  the  axe  crashing  into  the  log 
he  was  chopping,  and,  shouldering  a  quantity 
of  wood,  marched  away  to  the  kitchen.  Just 
then  I  heard  the  engineer  asking  for  water, 
which  I  hurried  to  give  him.  Something  had 
to  be  done.  Salt  provisions  and  heavy  work 
promised  to  make  us  all  sick.  It  was  still  early 
in  the  morning.  I  knew  that  seven  to  nine  miles 
across  the  jungles  and  savannahs  there  was  an 
Indian  village,  and  I  resolved  that  I  would  go 
there  and  find  help,  I  took  my  rifle,  gave  some 
directions  to  the  cook,  and  hinted  to  a  little 
Spaniard  who  hung  around  camp  that  if  he 
would  mind  his  own  business  it  would  be  appre- 
ciated. Then  I  hurried  out  on  the  trail  to  look 
for  help.  I  had  never  been  alone  in  the  tropical 
jungles,  and  was  all  excitement  with  a  sort  of 
fear  because  of  the  unknown  in  the  wilderness 
about  me.  Gradually  this  feeling  wore  off,  and, 
as  the  day  passed,  my  only  anxiety  was  that 
night  might  come  before  I  could  find  the  Indian 
village.     I  knew  that  it  was  a  long  way  before 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  started,  but  now  as  the  narrow  trail  led  me 
on  and  on,  sometimes  through  a  dense  jungle, 
again  in  and  out  and  among  the  great  trees  of 
an  open  forest,  or  through  tangled  bushes 
along  the  edge  of  the  savannah,  it  seemed  as 
though  I  would  never  reach  the  end,  and  now 
anxiety  and  fears  of  a  lonely  night  in  the  jun- 
gles were  my  constant  companions.  I  was  alone, 
and,  perhaps,  like  a  lost  man,  becoming  panic- 
stricken  ;  yet  I  hurried  on,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon saw  a  group  of  trees  and  little  houses  some 
distance  ahead  across  the  savannah.  Urging 
my  steps,  I  presently  reached  the  village,  tired 
and  hungry,  only  to  find  the  place  deserted. 
Sometimes  the  Indians  go  away  for  days,  and  I 
looked  anxiously  for  signs  of  life.  Then  from 
one  of  the  houses  I  heard  voices,  and  on  hurry- 
ing to  the  door  and  looking  in,  I  saw  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  examples  of  Indian  life  that 
I  have  ever  known.  The  house  was  full  of  chil- 
dren, little  and  big,  all  perfectly  contented,  talk- 
ing together  and  laughing  pleasantly.  The 
boys  were  mending  bows  and  arrows,  or  swing- 
ing in  hammocks.  The  girls  were  busy  at  min- 
iature housekeeping,  and  the  very  little  ones 
were  either  asleep  or  staring  contentedly  at  the 
39 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

others.  Outside  it  was  all  burning  sun,  but  in 
the  hut  there  was  subdued  light  and  cool  air, 
like  that  of  the  deep  woodlands. 

For  an  instant,  I  watched  the  half -naked  chil- 
dren, as  healthy  and  graceful  as  little  wild  ani- 
mals; then  they  saw  me.  The  bigger  boys 
caught  up  their  knives,  their  bows,  and  their 
arrows,  and  stood  defiantly  in  front  of  the  girls ; 
but  just  for  an  instant;  the  next  moment  some 
of  the  boys  who  had  been  at  our  camp  recog- 
nized me,  weapons  were  thrown  aside,  and  I  was 
receiving  a  welcome  such  as  can  be  had  only  in 
the  boisterous  good-will  of  healthy  children. 
Then  some  got  a  hammock  for  me,  others  took 
off  my  boots,  while  still  others  ran  to  bring 
fruits  and  cool  water.  In  a  very  short  time 
I  was  most  comfortable,  and  had  quite  for- 
gotten the  burning  sun  and  long  tramp.  Pres- 
ently some  of  the  children  came,  bringing  an 
old  woman  —  the  grandmother  of  all  the  vil- 
lage. She  could  speak  a  little  English,  and  on 
learning  that  I  wanted  some  men,  said  that  they 
had  all  gone  hunting,  but  would  come  back  at 
night.  Then  she  had  the  children  gather  up 
my  things,  and  we  all  went  to  her  house,  where 


40 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

she  and  some  younger  women  immediately  be- 
gan preparing  a  good  dinner  for  me. 

When  all  was  ready  I  was  brought  a  large 
wooden  plate,  and  the  food  was  placed  around 
my  hammock  in  gourds,  each  presided  over  by 
a  bright  little  Indian  child,  armed  with  a  forked 
stick,  with  which  to  pick  up  the  food  and  trans- 
fer it  to  my  plate  as  I  might  want  it.  I  had 
boiled  chicken,  rice,  yams,  plantain,  smoked  wild 
pork,  yucca,  and  various  fruits.  The  children 
were  eager  in  their  service,  and  it  was  a  beau- 
tiful dinner.  Before  me  was  the  intense  sun- 
light and  deep  blue  sky  over  the  open  savannah, 
around  me  a  pleasant  shade  and  soft  breeze 
blowing  in  at  the  wide-open  door,  and  the 
children,  pretty  little  creatures,  laughed  and 
chatted  together,  each  eagerly  pressing  me  to 
eat  of  what  he  or  she  had  to  offer;  while  the 
old  Indian  woman  sat  looking  on,  all  smiles  at 
my  enjoyment  of  her  things,  her  satisfaction 
increasing  every  moment,  and  I  must  confess 
that  I  did  eat  a  lot,  but  then  there  was  plenty. 
After  dinner  I  amused  the  people  showing  them 
my  watch,  compass,  and  the  few  other  things 
I  had  with  me,  and  presently  evening  came, 
and  with  it  the  people  of  the  village :  men  laden 

41 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

with  game  from  their  hunting,  and  women  bear- 
ing fruits  and  vegetables  from  their  gardens 
and  cultivations  among  the  woodlands. 

So  soon  as  my  Indian  friends  learned  that  the 
superintendent  had  left  camp,  they  were  all 
quite  ready  to  go  with  me,  but  I  wanted  only 
two  men,  and,  having  picked  out  a  pair  of 
sturdy-looking  fellows,  we  all  went  to  the  chief's 
house  to  sit  around  and  have  a  talk.  The  chil- 
dren came,  too,  but  now  they  were  quite  subdued 
in  the  presence  of  the  men,  and  sat  meekly 
looking  on.  From  time  to  time  women  came 
in  to  look  at  the  white  stranger;  each  carried 
a  torch,  and  generally  an  armful  of  gourd 
dishes,  aU  very  much  alike,  which  probably  they 
had  been  washing;  these  were  all  laid  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  house,  while  the  Indian 
women  came  in  to  satisfy  their  curiosity.  Pres- 
ently one  came  along  with  her  torch  and  a 
good  supply  of  gourds  in  her  arms.  She  placed 
them  on  the  ground  with  care,  laying  the  torch 
beside  them,  and  came  stalking  in  with  a  savage 
look  at  the  boys.  Evidently  she  was  no  fa- 
vourite with  them;  there  was  a  whispered  con- 
sultation, then  the  little  scamps  sneaked  cau- 
tiously out  of  the  door,  went  to  her  torch,  and 

42 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

carefully  made  two  torches  of  it,  putting  each 
in  a  separate  place  a  little  distance  apart;  then 
they  divided  her  gourds,  placing  some  by  each 
torch;  after  that  they  hid  behind  some  bushes 
and  waited.  Presently  the  woman,  having  sat- 
isfied her  curiosity,  went  out,  and  walked  up 
to  the  nearest  pile  of  gourds  with  a  puzzled 
expression;  she  had  brought  eight,  now  there 
were  only  three,  with  a  small  torch,  and  hers 
had  been  a  big  one ;  then  she  went  to  the  others, 
then  she  came  back  to  the  first,  and  went  angrily 
toward  the  others  again.  Evidently  she  wished 
to  be  careful  about  touching  what  might  not 
belong  to  her,  and  now  stood  looking  about  her 
with  an  angry,  puzzled  expression.  Then  a 
stifled  laugh  came  from  behind  the  bushes;  in- 
stantly she  seemed  to  grasp  the  situation;  with 
one  sweep  of  her  long  arm  she  gathered  up  her 
gourds  and  made  a  dash  for  the  boys,  but  they 
were  too  quick  for  her,  and,  scattering  in  all 
directions,  the  half-naked  little  scamps  went 
dancing  about  among  the  houses,  screaming 
with  laughter  and  delight  at  her  efforts  to  catch 
them.  For  some  time  she  kept  up  an  angry, 
determined  chase,  but  finally  gave  in  and  went 
to  her  hut,  with  loud  expressions  of  opinion  that 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

sounded  like  very  bad  words.  The  men  laughed 
heartily,  and,  encouraged  by  this,  the  boys  came 
with  doubtful  steps  into  the  house,  but  the  chief 
made  a  sign  to  the  young  men,  and  the  boys 
made  a  wild  dash  for  the  door.  It  was  no  use 
this  time;  they  were  soon  caught,  their  ears 
were  soundly  boxed,  and  for  a  time  lamentations 
filled  the  village. 

I  talked  with  the  Indians  late  into  the  night. 
and  then  slept  on  a  mahogany  board  under  a 
good  mosquito-net,  and  would  have  been  com- 
fortable if  only  I  could  have  found  one  soft 
spot  on  that  board.  In  the  morning  I  and  my 
two  men  tramped  back  to  our  camp,  where  the 
Indians  soon  made  us   comfortable. 


44 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER   VI. 

A   STARTLING   PROPOSITION   AND   A    HEAVY   FLOOD 

For  a  time  the  days  went  on  pleasantly 
enough,  but  after  awhile  we  began  to  feel  some- 
what anxious  about  the  superintendent,  and  as 
the  days  lengthened  into  weeks  we  talked  of 
sending  out  a  searching  party.  Then  word 
came  to  us  that  yellow  fever  was  raging  all 
along  the  coast,  and  that  the  superintendent 
was  dead.  At  this  we  decided  that  our  plans 
must  be  changed,  yet  to  go  back  to  the  coast 
seemed  unwise;  and  finally  it  was  agreed  that 
I  should  go  on  alone  to  the  interior,  and  that 
our  two  remaining  companions  should  stay  with 
our  supplies  till  men  and  proper  equipment 
could  be  sent  down  the  river  to  take  them  all 
to  our  destination. 

Arrangements  were  easily  made  with  the 
Indians,  for  they  were  all  eager  to  serve  me. 

45 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  a  few  days  later  I  left  camp  in  company 
with  a  number  of  them,  who  had  come  to  take 
me  to  their  village,  the  first  stopping-point  on 
my  journey  to  the  interior.  A  moment  of  mu- 
tual parting,  instructions,  a  hurried  good-bye, 
and  I  turned  away  with  my  Indian  friends. 
As  we  went,  they  talked  continually  of  the  rich 
beauty  and  resources  of  their  country;  for 
what  reason  I  did  not  know  till  I  arrived  at 
their  village,  where  I  found  a  number  of  lead- 
ing men,  who,  after  extending  salutations  of 
welcome,  made  me  a  rather  startling  proposi- 
tion. It  appeared  that  four  villages  in  that 
country  were  constantly  at  strife,  each  with 
the  other,  and  they  wanted  a  new  chief  to  pre- 
side over  all  four,  a  dignity  to  which  I  had 
been  duly  appointed,  and  they  proposed  to 
build  me  a  new  village,  or,  rather,  a  collection 
of  huts,  where  it  was  proposed  that  I  should 
marry  and  settle  down,  but  the  marrying  was 
serious  because  each  of  the  four  villages  ex- 
pected to  be  represented  in  my  establishment. 
First  I  was  to  marry  a  daughter  of  each  of 
the  village  chiefs,  —  that  made  four  as  princi- 
pal wives;  then  I  was  to  marry  a  relative  of 
each  chiefs  principal  wife,  one  from  each  vil- 

46 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

lage,  —  that  made  eight ;  then,  after  marrying 
eight  Indian  girls  selected  for  me  by  others, 
I  was  to  select  a  wife  from  each  village  as  I 
might  fancy;  a  total  of  twelve  wives  offered 
all  at  once. 

The  Indians  could  not  understand  why  I  did 
not  accept  at  once  an  offer  so  liberal  in  all  its 
conditions,  and  I  was  anxious  enough  to  find 
some  excuse  for  declining  without  giving  them 
offence.  After  we  had  consulted  together  for 
a  long  time,  I  told  them  that,  according  to  the 
laws  of  my  fathers,  which  were  of  course  bind- 
ing on  me,  a  man  could  have  but  one  wife,  and 
that  I  could  by  no  means  become  the  common 
bond  through  which  the  contending  villages 
might  be  united.  Yet  I  was  fearful  of  offend- 
ing their  women,  for  they  were  proud  of  their 
attractions. 

There  was  a  beautiful  little  Indian  baby  girl 
about  four  years  old  in  that  village,  named 
Dropin,  and  just  at  that  time  she  happened 
to  be  sitting  on  my  knee  looking  at  me  intently 
with  grave,  wondering  eyes.  So  I  told  the  peo- 
ple that  I  could  not  be  contented  with  any  one 
but  Dropin,  and  as  she  was  so  young,  I  would 
have  to  wait  for  her  to  grow.     The  people  were 

47 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

disappointed,  but  accepted  the  excuse,  and 
little  Dropin  became  a  personage  of  importance. 
Then  I  gave  her  a  lot  of  things,  such  as  I  had, 
a  bright  silk  handkerchief,  metal  buttons, 
safety-pins,  etc. ;  and  her  delight  was  beyond 
her  ability  to  express.  Then  I  nominated  a 
boy  to  take  care  of  her,  which  was  equivalent 
to  providing  a  husband,  gave  the  chief  some 
money  to  buy  her  a  cow,  and  I  had  done  suffi- 
cient. No  doubt  I  have  long  since  been  for- 
gotten, though,  for  myself,  I  often  think  of 
the  pretty  Indian  baby  and  wonder  what  has 
become  of  her. 

In  the  same  village  I  met  a  boy  who  some 
days  before  had  come  to  camp,  asking  that  I 
would  give  him  some  medicine  for  ugly  sores 
and  a  skin  disease  on  his  legs  and  feet;  and  I 
was  pleased  to  find  that  he  was  now  quite  well. 
He  could  not  speak  my  language,  but  as  a 
means  of  expressing  his  thanks  he  came  to  show 
me  the  places  where  the  sores  had  been,  and 
then  stood  by  my  side  till  late  in  the  evening. 

That  night  it  rained,  and  in  the  morning 
the  river  was  up  and  a  mighty  flood  was  on; 
all  around,  where  yesterday  there  had  been 
green   savannahs,   was   one   expanse  of   water, 

48 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  the  higher  ground  on  which  the  village 
stood  was  an  island,  with  the  water  still  rising 
around  it. 

Even  the  Indians  looked  on  in  amazement. 
Then  a  rumour  started  that  my  friends  at  camp 
were  being  washed  away,  and  that  most  prob- 
ably all  would  be  killed. 

I  called  my  men,  and  told  them  to  go  back 
to  camp,  which  was  within  easy  reach  now  by 
canoe  across  the  flooded  savannah,  and  help 
could  be  sent  quickly;  but  the  men  said  they 
would  not  go;  it  was  too  dangerous.  In  vain 
I  scolded  and  entreated,  they  would  not  go. 
Their  engagement  to  go  up  the  river  they  ac- 
knowledged, and  were  prepared  to  obey  any  or- 
ders for  that  trip  I  might  give  at  any  time. 
Then  I  determined  to  gain  my  point  with  strong 
words.  So  calling  them  to  the  canoes,  I  said, 
"  Get  your  things,  we  will  start  now." 

The  chief  translated,  and  dismay  filled  their 
faces.  I  took  my  place  in  the  canoe  and  re- 
peated my  order.  "  But  we  will  certainly  be 
killed,"  said  the  chief,  "  no  canoe  can  live  in  the 
rapids  just  above  here  with  such  a  flood." 

"Good,"  I  said,  "we  will  all  be  killed;  so 
will  my  friends  unless  you  go  to  their  aid,  and 

49 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

why  should  I  not  die  with  them?  Now  take 
your  choice,  go  down  the  river  to  help  my 
friends  or  start  up  the  river  with  me  at  once, 
and  we  will  all  go  to  '  Hell '  together." 

They  looked  at  me,  and  I  looked  at  them. 
Then  the  chief  said,  "  Me  go,"  and  after  that 
they  all  assented. 

It  was  easy  for  them  to  push  a  light  canoe 
across  the  flooded  meadows,  and  that  evening 
they  all  came  back,  the  chief  bringing  a  letter 
from  my  friends  assuring  me  that  they  were 
all  well  at  camp. 

Later,  I  heard  that  the  chief  had  expressed 
a  rather  strong  opinion  in  regard  to  my  char- 
acter, saying  to  my  friends  at  camp,  "  Yes,  he 
a  good  man,  he  a  much  good  man,  but,  oh,  God. 
he  a  devil." 


60 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER  VII. 


A    EOW    IN    CAMP 


The  next  day  word  came  to  me  that  the 
superintendent  had  returned,  and  was  most 
anxious  that  I  should  come  back  to  camp,  which 
I  naturally  prepared  to  do  at  once. 

The  river  was  still  at  flood,  though  the 
savannah  was  now  free  from  water.  Two  fine, 
young  Indians  were  directed  to  take  me,  a 
canoe  was  prepared,  and  we  were  shortly  on  our 
way,  the  swift  current  carrying  us  down  the 
river  with  almost  appalling  force.  It  was  a 
long  way,  for  the  river  made  numerous  windings, 
and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  ar- 
rived in  camp.  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  a 
number  of  my  Indian  friends  had  also  come  to 
our  camp,  having  made  their  way,  through  all 
the  dangerous  wind,  across  the  lately  flooded 
savannah.     As  I  went  toward  the  house,  one  of 

51 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

them  whispered,  "  If  he  fights,  come  out  to  us." 
Then  they  all  sat  about  indifferently,  and  one 
would  have  thought  they  had  no  concern  in  me 
at  all. 

My  meeting  with  the  superintendent  was 
strained.  He  had  failed  utterly  in  his  search 
for  men,  and  there  was  little  to  be  said,  at  least 
I  had  nothing  to  say,  and  simply  waited  to  hear 
him. 

We  were  all  sitting  in  front  of  one  of  the 
huts,  I  watching  the  sun  set,  and  wondering  at 
the  volume  of  water  in  the  flooded  river  just 
before  us;  then  from  the  other  side  I  saw  a 
great  animal  come  out  of  the  woods,  where  for 
an  instant  it  stood  in  bold  outline  against  the 
sunset.  "  What  is  that?  "  I  cried,  "  a  tapir  or 
what.f^  "  An  Indian  sitting  near  said,  "  Tiger," 
and  in  an  instant  there  was  commotion  in  camp. 
Supremely  quiet,  the  great  jaguar  stood  look- 
ing across  the  water;  then  with  a  slow  move- 
ment, his  eyes  fixed  on  us,  he  walked  to  the 
river  and  began  to  swim  as  if  intent  on  reaching 
where  we  stood  and  beginning  the  attack.  He 
must  have  been  well  hungry  to  attack  so  many 
people,  but  a  hungry  jaguar  will  do  anything. 
We  rushed  for  our  rifles,  and  before  the  jaguar 

52 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

could  cross  the  broad  river  all  were  prepared 
for  him.  "  You  saw  it,  your  shot,"  whispered 
one  of  the  Indians,  as  we  stood  waiting.  Then 
I  stepped  ahead  of  the  others,  feeling  sure  of 
my  game  this  time.  I  wanted  the  skin,  and  had 
just  determined  to  let  the  beast  reach  shallow 
water  on  our  side  of  the  river,  feeling  sure  I 
could  kill  before  it  sprang  on  us,  when  one  of 
my  companions  fired  over  my  shoulder,  taking 
my  shot,  and  killing  the  game  while  it  was  yet 
in  deep  water.  For  a  moment  or  two  it  strug- 
gled, making  a  magnificent  effort  to  reach 
shore,  then  sinking  below  the  surface,  disap- 
peared for  ever,  carried  down  by  the  swift 
current. 

This  incident  put  us  in  a  bad  humour,  and 
the  superintendent  began  demanding  money, 
asking  that  I  should  make  heavy  drafts  on  New 
York,  though  how  he  expected  to  obtain  money 
on  them  in  the  wild  jungles  was  past  my  com- 
prehension. I  agreed,  however,  that  I  would 
give  him  the  drafts,  provided  he  would  take  a 
light  cargo  and  go  on  with  the  Indians  to  our 
destination.  He  refused,  and  after  consulting 
my  Indian  friends,  I  decided  that  no  more 
money  could  be  given  him  unless  he  agreed  to 

53 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

go  on,  make  such  progress  as  he  could,  and  give 
up  his  schemes  in  regard  to  navigating  the 
Patuca  River,  in  which  I  had  no  interest  what- 
ever. Then  there  was  a  scene,  threats  and  wild 
language;  the  superintendent  had  been  drink- 
ing, and  was  little  better  than  a  madman. 
Presently  his  thoughts  centred  on  an  idea  that 
he  would  go  back  to  the  settlements,  and  up 
the  road  to  the  interior,  and  there  revoke  certain 
transfers  of  property  before  I  could  have  them 
registered.  This  registry  was  one  of  the  most 
important  matters  that  had  been  entrusted  to 
me.  The  question  was  rather  serious,  and  I 
consulted  with  others  before  answering  him; 
while  he,  all  complacent,  thought  I  was  cornered. 
I' was  assured  that  if  he  went  back  to  the  coast 
he  could  not  get  through  the  dead-line,  because 
yellow  fever  was  raging  in  the  settlements.  The 
dead-line  is  a  rather  peculiar  though  effective 
quarantine;  a  line  is  drawn  across  the  road 
from  an  infected  place,  and  a  notice  is  posted 
up ;  a  guard  stationed  to  protect  the  line,  and 
whoever  attempts  to  cross  from  the  infected  side 
is  immediately  shot.  I  hardly  believed  this 
statement,  but  I  was  convinced  that  there  was 
some  impediment  to  travel,  and  that  to  reach 

54 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  interior  from  the  infected  coast  would  be 
difficult,  and  probably  slow  work.  Fortunately 
we  were  above  the  dead-line,  and  I  determined 
to  make  my  way  across  the  wilderness  to  the 
capital ;  if  my  companion  came  with  me  I  could 
claim  the  right  of  registry,  and  if  he  went  by 
way  of  the  coast  I  could  probably  beat  him  in. 

Once  more  I  tried  to  persuade  him  that  our 
best  interests  were  to  go  on,  but  words  were  use- 
less, and  a  race  for  the  mines  was  in  order. 

I  arranged  as  best  I  could.  Of  the  money 
we  had,  I  took  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in 
silver,  and  gave  the  balance,  several  hundred 
dollars,  to  the  engineer  of  our  expedition,  tell- 
ing him  to  remain  at  camp  till  I  could  send 
help  from  the  capital.  Then,  with  the  few 
things  packed  which  were  to  be  my  outfit,  I 
waited  anxiously  for  an  opportunity  to  begin 
my  journey. 


55 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER   Vm. 

ALONE    WITH    THE    INDIANS    AGAIN 

In  a  few  days  a  crew  of  Sumu  Indians  came 
up  the  river  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  our 
camp.  They  agreed  to  take  me  with  them  as 
far  as  they  were  going,  but  did  not  think  I 
could  succeed  in  getting  over  the  mountains. 
They  said  that  there  were  plenty  of  men  at  their 
village,  a  place  called  Gualpatante,  and  as  I 
felt  sure  I  could  arrange  with  some  of  them, 
I  determined  to  push  on. 

I  got  my  things  together  and  next  morning 
we  started.  Their  canoe  was  unusually  large, 
made  from  a  single  mahogany  log,  and  capable 
of  carrying  six  or  seven  tons. 

Eight  men  made  up  the  crew,  rough-looking 
fellows,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before,  and 
I  wondered  what  was  to  be  my  fate  with  them. 
The  captain  of  the  crew  was  old  and  bent,  look- 

56 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

ing  almost  like  a  hunchback;  his  arms  reached 
down  below  his  knees ;  his  neck  was  long,  skinny, 
and  protruding;  he  had  only  one  tooth,  which 
had  grown  up  to  the  length  of  a  boar's  tusk; 
one  eye  was  knocked  out,  his  nose  and  chin 
almost  met,  his  long,  unkempt  hair  hung  about 
his  naked  shoulders;  and  to  make  his  appear- 
ance more  frightful,  one-half  his  face  was 
painted  black,  which  brought  his  protruding 
cheek-bones   into   peculiar   prominence. 

I  looked  at  him  in  astonishment,  not  unmixed 
with  fear,  and  he  was  in  truth  a  strange,  for- 
bidding-looking object.  The  Indians  quickly 
put  my  things  in  the  canoe,  the  old  Indian 
motioned  me  to  a  seat,  and  my  journey  had  be- 
gun, my  companion  sneeringly  remarking  that 
he  would  wait  for  me  at  the  capital,  where  I 
would  find  the  property  made  away  with,  and 
all  because  of  my  headstrong  folly  in  refusing 
his  orders.  The  time  for  words  was  past;  I 
invited  him  to  go  with  me,  but  he  would  not; 
and  then  the  men  pushed  out  in  the  stream,  and 
began  a  vigorous  paddling  which  soon  took 
us  around  a  bend  in  the  river,  and  I  was  alone 
with    these    strange,    half-naked    Indians,    per- 


57 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

plexed  and  doubting  the  wisdom  of  the  course 
I  was  pursuing. 

I  was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  I  was  in 
good  company,  and  the  strange  old  Indian  was 
as  careful  of  me  as  if  I  had  been  his  child.  I 
soon  forgot  my  fears  in  the  novelty  of  my  sur- 
roundings, and  then  anxiety  gave  place  to 
thorough  enjoyment. 

As  we  ascended  the  river  the  scene  gradually 
changed,  and  presently  we  were  among  the  first 
undulations  of  the  mountains,  and  after  two 
days,  had  reached  the  lower  foot-hills,  and  were 
surrounded  by  all  that  one  could  dream  of  in 
a  tropical  paradise.  At  night  we  camped  on  the 
sand-bars,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Indians 
would  have  game  and  fish  in  abundance.  Then 
we  would  eat,  and  it  seemed  as  if  I  could  not 
get  enough,  and  fortunately  there  was  no  end 
to  the  supply. 

Two  days  more,  and  we  reached  the  Indian 
village,  a  place  called  Gualpatante;  the  men 
took  my  things  to  one  of  the  larger  houses,  and 
the  people  crowded  around  to  see  me. 

I  immediately  began  negotiations  for  men 
to  take  me  on  my  way,  and  was  meeting  with 
some  success  when  all  my  hopes  were  ruined  at 

58 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

a  sign  from  the  old  Indian,  whose  name,  I 
learned,  was  Tusa.  He  was  a  most  remarkable 
person ;  the  oldest  people  in  the  village  said 
that  when  they  were  children  he  was  just  as  I 
found  him  —  old,  temperate  in  all  things,  and 
powerfully  strong.  While  we  were  coming  up 
the  river  the  men  had  on  several  occasions  been 
unable  to  make  headway  against  the  current, 
which  at  times  was  very  swift.  Old  Tusa 
carried  a  great  paddle,  bigger  than  himself,  and 
at  these  times  he  would  give  one  long  sweep  with 
it  deep  in  the  water,  and  the  great  canoe  would 
tremble  at  the  force;  then  another  sweep  of  his 
broad  paddle,  and  the  canoe  would  move  ahead 
slowly;  then  the  men  would  get  it  in  control 
again,  and  we  would  creep  steadily  on  to 
quieter  water;  the  old  Indian  making  himself 
comfortable  in  a  lazy  attitude  in  the  stem  of  the 
canoe.  And  this  was  the  man  who  had  me  in 
his  power,  and  I  began  to  be  anxious  again,  and 
wonder  why  he  was  unwilling  that  I  should  go 
on. 

I  was  well  treated,  and  if  I  could  have  spoken 
to  them  fluently  or  understood  what  they  said, 
I  felt  sure  that  all  would  soon  be  arranged;  but 
my  few  words  of  the  Indian  language  seemed  to 

59 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

be  lost  on  old  Tusa,  who  spoke  only  a  very  little 
English  and  Spanish.  Conversation  was  not 
brilliant.  Each  morning  old  Tusa  would  come 
down  to  see  me  and  say :  "  Where  going  to- 
day?" 

"  Up  the  river,"  I  would  reply. 

"  No,  can't  go." 

"  But  I  want  to  —  I  must,"  I  would  protest. 

"  No,  can't  go." 

"  But  I  will,"  I  would  say,  angrily,  at  times. 

"  No,  can't  go.  Where  going  to-day  ?  Stone 
tings ;    flower  tings ;    butterfly  tings ;    hunt  ?  " 

I  was  interested  in  collecting  specimens,  and 
would  generally  choose  one  or  another  excur- 
sion proposed.  The  old  man  would  give  a 
satisfied  grunt,  and  then,  after  a  brief  direction 
to  one  of  the  young  men,  who  apparently  never 
thought  of  disobeying  him,  I  would  be  taken 
out  in  the  woods;  and  game,  insects,  botanical 
or  geological  specimens  would  be  found  to  my 
fullest  satisfaction. 

But  as  the  days  accumulated,  I  gave  up  going 
out,  and  all  my  thoughts  were  concentrated  on 
getting  away  from  that  old  Indian.  He  would 
have  taken  me  back  to  the  camp  down  the  river 
at  any  time,  but  he  would  not  take  me  on,  nor 

60 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

would  he  let  me  go,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  he 
had  an  understanding  with  the  superintendent 
to  detain  me.  Twice  I  nearly  succeeded,  but 
he  stopped  me  each  time,  and  I  grew  more  and 
more  anxious. 

What  he  meant  to  do  I  could  not  tell,  and  I 
was  in  despair,  even  expecting  that  later  he  in- 
tended to  have  me  killed. 

The  Indians  were  drinking  a  good  part  of 
the  time,  and  how  I  learned  to  hate  those  drunken 
feasts.  Tusa  never  went  to  them,  but  the  other 
men  would  soon  become  hopelessly  intoxicated, 
and  then  would  promise  to  take  me  anywhere, 
and  that  would  be  the  end  of  it,  only  promises. 
They  drank  fermented  sugar-cane  juice  which 
was  prepared  by  women  who  sat  around  a  big 
trough  chewing  cane  and  spitting  the  juice  till 
they  had  filled  the  trough ;  then  it  was  allowed 
to  ferment.  When  properly  fermented,  the 
boys  would  gather  with  their  reed  pipes  and 
the  men  would  drink  to  the  accompaniment  of 
their  droning  music,  just  the  same  thing  over 
and  over  again,  all  in  disorder,  yet  not  unpleas- 
ing  in  its  effect ;  and  finally  the  men  would  fall 
into  a  helpless  drunken  stupor,  though  at  times 
angry  quarrels  would  take  place,  and  the  In- 

61 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

dians,  wild  with  drink,  would  threaten  all  sorts 
of  violence.  At  such  times  old  Tusa  would 
hurry  over  to  my  house,  and  forbid  my  going 
out.  Usually  he  stayed  with  me  until  the  row 
was  over,  and  I  could  not  understand  why  he 
was  so  careful  of  me,  and  yet  kept  me  so  closely 
guarded. 

A  few  days  later  I  learned  why  this  was.  I 
had  lost  three  weeks  when  a  large  canoe  came 
up  the  river  filled  with  Indians,  but  among  them 
there  was  a  white  man,  a  fine  fellow  who  was 
building  up  a  trade  in  rubber  with  the  Indians. 
I  had  been  living  in  his  house,  and  old  Tusa 
proposed  to  deliver  me  safe  and  sound  to  my 
host.  This  he  did  with  but  little  ceremony,  and 
as  he  went  out  of  the  door  he  said  to  me :  "  Now 
can  go,"  and  walked  off  entirely  satisfied. 

My  new  friend  said  that  the  old  Indian  had 
done  me  a  great  service,  as  I  would  certainly 
have  been  killed  if  I  had  gone  on  without  being 
properly  prepared;  and  as  it  was  he  did  not 
think  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  get  through, 
and  advised  me  most  seriously  to  go  back,  and 
give  up  the  idea;  it  was  no  trip  for  a  white 
man  not  accustomed  to  the  most  trying  expo- 
sures.    Then,  if  one  did  not  die  from  the  ex- 

62 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

posure,  there  were  the  wild  animals ;  and  if  not 
these,  then  the  Indians,  almost  as  dangerous, 
and  altogether  he  thought  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  me.  But  when  I  explained  the  situation, 
he  said  he  thought  it  was  taking  big  risks,  but 
he  would  do  the  best  he  could  for  me. 

He  told  me  I  might  take  my  choice  of  evils. 
He  could  give  me  Mosquito  men  who  would  take 
me  up  the  rapids  safely,  but  might  lose  their 
way  in  the  woods,  which  would  mean  death; 
then  he  could  give  me  men  from  his  village,  but 
though  they  knew  the  trail  well,  they  would 
perhaps  have  an  accident  in  the  rapids;  which, 
if  it  did  not  kill  me,  would  certainly  mean  the 
loss  of  all  my  things;  or  he  could  give  me  the 
wild  men,  who  would  be  coming  down  with  their 
rubber  the  next  day.  These  were  perfect  river 
hands  and  sure  woodmen;  but  they  were  mur- 
derous, and  not  to  be  depended  on,  yet  if  I  was 
careful  with  them  they  would  probably  take  me 
through  safely.  I  determined  to  cast  in  my  lot 
with  the  wild  men,  and  then  my  friend  gave  me 
careful  directions  how  to  treat  them.  Their 
last  murder  had  been  to  secure  forty  dollars  sil- 
ver, quite  a  fortune  to  them.  I  now  had  only 
one  hundred  dollars  silver,  little  enough  with  the 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

journey  ahead  of  me.  This  I  was  not  to  show 
on  any  account.  Then  I  was  not  to  give  them 
directions,  but  simply  allow  them  to  take  me. 
I  would  fall  in  with  a  tribe  called  the  Piyu 
Indians,  some  of  whom  were  very  dangerous, 
and,  though  cowardly,  would  sneak  up  to  one 
at  night,  cut  one's  throat,  and  run;  and  on  no 
account  was  I  to  sleep  in  their  houses  till  I  got 
to  the  interior  valleys;  where  they  were  per- 
fectly reliable,  and  I  would  be  safe. 

Then  I  gave  my  friend  the  money  to  pay  the 
men,  and  he  proposed  to  tell  them  he  was  ad- 
vancing it  to  me,  and  that  I  had  none.  He  said 
he  would  engage  three  men  and  two  women  as 
my  guides  and  pack-bearers,  because  the  men 
rarely  murdered  a  person  when  the  women  were 
near. 


64 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    IX. 

OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS   WITH   INDIAN   MURDEREES 

The  following  day  preparations  were  made, 
and,  true  to  their  appointment,  the  men  came 
down  that  morning,  a  whole  lot  of  them,  with 
several  canoe-loads  of  rubber.  I  was  glad  to 
see  that  a  number  of  women  were  with  them,  and 
was  overjoyed  to  learn  that  they  proposed  to 
go  back  to  their  mountains  the  next  morning. 
They  looked  as  wild  as  monkeys,  but  their  stout 
muscles  spoke  well  for  their  ability  as  wood  and 
river  men. 

A  bargain  was  quickly  made ;  my  friend  gave 
them  their  money,  and,  after  making  some 
presents,  in  which  old  Tusa  was  especially  re- 
membered, I  set  out  again  with  a  fair  prospect 
of  reaching  the  interior  settlements.  The  first 
day  the  men  did  excellent  work,  and  the  next 
reached  the  Wampoo  River,  and  continued  on 

65 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  way  to  their  village  at  a  junction  with  it 
and  the  Po  River.  It  had  been  a  long,  hard 
day's  work  for  them,  and  just  as  I  was  con- 
gratulating myself  on  our  quick  time  they  an- 
nounced that  they  must  rest  one  day  before 
starting  out  again. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  so  I  determined 
to  amuse  myself  as  best  I  could,  and  when  night 
came  I  began  to  think  the  time  had  not  been  a 
loss,  for  these  were  a  strange  people,  and  it 
is  seldom  the  lot  of  a  traveller  to  fall  in  with 
them. 

That  night  the  etiquette  of  the  woods  re- 
quired that  I  should  hand  my  firearms  to  my 
host,  to  prove  my  confidence  in  him;  usually 
they  are  handed  back  at  once,  but  this  Indian 
kept  them,  and  I  began  to  wish  I  had  not  been  so 
particular,  and  I  missed  my  good  friend,  as  I 
call  my  pistol,  sorely  that  night,  though  I  didn't 
have  any  occasion  to  use  it;  yet  there  is  some- 
thing companionable  about  a  pistol,  and  I  would 
have  slept  more  soundly  if  it  had  been  by  my 
side. 

The  following  day  the  men  continued  resting, 
but  in  the  afternoon  I  was  delighted  to  see  them 
making  preparations  to  start  the  next  mornings 

66 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

A  little  later  I  threw  the  town  into  a  state  of 
excitement  because  of  some  paper  pinwheels 
that  I  made  to  amuse  the  children.  The  men 
wanted  them  at  once,  and  I  used  up  numerous 
pins  and  nearly  all  my  paper  before  they  were 
satisfied.  When  all  were  supplied,  it  was  an 
amusing  sight  as  these  fully-grown  men  pranced 
and  ran  about  among  the  houses,  shouting  and 
kicking  up  their  heels  like  a  lot  of  children ;  the 
women  following  around  after  them  equally 
delighted,  and  full  of  excitement.  The  fun 
lasted  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  the  pin- 
wheels  were  worn  out,  and  the  village  settled 
down  again. 

The  next  morning  the  chief  said  they  were 
ready  to  go  on,  but  to  my  surprise  and  alarm 
I  found  that  five  men  were  to  be  my  companions, 
and  that  the  women  were  not  going  at  all. 
There  was  no  help  for  it,  now;  to  return  was 
impossible,  and  if  they  intended  to  murder  me 
I  could  not  escape  them  by  going  back;  so  I 
made  the  best  of  the  situation  and  we  started. 
The  men  made  good  progress,  and  about  noon 
we  reached  a  little  Indian  village  called  Po. 
Here  my  chief  and  the  chief  of  Po  sat  down  tq 
have  a  talk  together. 

67 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

After  a  time  the  chief  of  Po  said  to  my  chief, 
''  Well,  are  you  going  to  kill  this  one?  "  To 
which  my  chief  replied,  "  I  don't  know,  yet ;  I 
must  get  him  up  in  the  woods  first  and  see  if  he 
has  any  money,  and  besides,  the  trader  takes  care 
of  him  and  perhaps  he  will  only  die  in  the 
woods."  I  could  understand  some  words  of  their 
language,  but  they  fell  to  talking  about  other 
things,  which  I  could  not  understand,  and  I  went 
to  sit  alone  and  consider  my  prospects.  It  did 
not  seem  very  encouraging,  but  the  road  led  on, 
not  back. 

We  soon  were  under  way  again,  following  the 
river  as  it  wound  ever  on  up,  and  still  up  among 
the  mountains. 

Sometimes  the  rapids  were  really  dangerous, 
and  it  was  wonderful  to  see  the  way  in  which 
those  Indians  managed  the  shallow  dugout  or 
pit  pan,  as  they  called  it.  One  stood  in  front 
with  a  long  pole  to  keep  it  off  the  rocks,  two 
paddled,  one  bailed  the  water  out,  and  one  stood 
behind,  steering  with  a  long  pole.  When  we 
came  to  a  rapid  they  would  shout  to  me  to  sit 
still,  which  was  all  I  could  do;  I  was  so  fright- 
ened I  scarcely  dared  to  breath,  while  those  men, 
shouting  with  excitement,  made  their  way  along 

68 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  sides  of  rapids  which  to  me  seemed  impass- 
able. 

At  times  we  would  come  to  long  stretches  of 
quiet  water,  and  then  to  other  rapids,  and  so 
on  up  and  up,  the  men  shooting  iguanas  and 
catching  turtles  and  fish  as  we  went. 

Iguana  is  said  to  be  very  fine  eating,  but  after 
a  time  I  could  not  bear  the  sight  of  it,  though 
it  seemed  good  at  first.  There  was  plenty  of 
turtle  at  all  times,  however,  and  so  I  got  along 
very  well. 

It  was  strange  to  see  the  Indians  catch  turtles 
and  fish.  A  turtle  would  slip  off  a  log  into  the 
water,  and  at  the  same  time  an  Indian  would 
dive  lightly  from  the  boat,  and  it  was  rarely 
indeed  that  they  missed  them.  A  certain  In- 
dian named  Wee  Wee  was  particularly  expert, 
and  if  he  saw  a  frightened  fish  hide  itself  as 
we  passed  on  up  the  river,  he  would  slip  quietly 
over  the  side  of  the  canoe,  and  nearly  always 
succeeded  in  catching  it. 

At  one  part  of  the  journey  we  found  our- 
selves in  a  deep  ravine,  which  was  so  high  up 
among  the  mountains  that  we  could  look  back 
out  of  it  over  a  great  stretch  of  country  and 
lower  mountains,  and  as  we  sat  in  the  cool  shade 

69 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

of  the  canon,  where  the  water  was  still  and  deep, 
and  where  the  rocks  were  all  covered  with  or- 
chids, ferns,  and  mosses,  it  seemed,  looking  out 
over  the  distant  country,  as  if  something  was 
about  to  overwhelm  us  or  that  we  were  soon  to 
be  swept  over  a  cataract,  it  was  all  so  strange 
and  unearthly. 

One  morning,  after  sleeping  by  the  river 
bank,  I  noticed  two  little  red  spots  on  my  arm, 
considerably  above  the  elbow ;  at  times  they  were 
very  painful,  and  after  a  day  or  two  became 
almost  unbearable  and  had  grown  quite  large. 
I  tried  to  press  them  out,  thinking  they  were 
boils,  and  that  the  sun  made  them  hurt  so  se- 
verely. I  was  sure  something  was  in  there,  so, 
getting  a  bunch  of  flesh  up  between  my  fingers, 
I  pressed  with  considerable  force,  and  to  my 
astonishment  a  white,  threadlike  worm  began 
to  appear,  and  as  I  pressed  harder  a  large  grub 
popped  out  and  fell  in  my  hand.  It  looked  like 
a  bottle  with  a  long  neck  tapering  to  a  thread, 
and  had  black  hair  at  the  folds  of  its  skin. 
Then  I  took  another  out  of  the  smaller  sore,  and 
thought  I  would  have  no  more  trouble  with 
them;  but  in  this  I  was  mistaken,  and  my  arm 
began  to  swell  rapidly,  aching  miserably,  while 

70 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

green  matter  collected  in  the  openings  left  where 
the  grubs  had  been.  After  a  time  these  condi- 
tions became  so  alarming  that  I  showed  my  arm 
to  the  chief,  who  said  it  was  very  bad,  that  it 
was  the  mosquito  grub,  and  that  I  should  have 
told  him  sooner.  Then  he  went  to  the  woods 
and  brought  back  a  root,  which  he  masticated 
with  some  chewing  tobacco,  and  placed  the  mass 
in  the  sores,  after  which  they  healed  with  what 
I  thought  unusual  rapidity.  I  am  told  that  I 
made  a  lucky  escape,  as  the  sores  following  the 
expulsion  of  these  grubs  are  at  times  danger- 
ous ;  rarely  so,  however,  if  taken  out  while  they 
are  yet  small,  and  only  those  who  are  ignorant 
in  respect  to  them  suffer  any  damage. 

It  is  said  that  a  long  black  mosquito  lays  the 
eggs  that  produce  these  grubs;  how,  nobody 
has  any  idea,  and  at  times  they  are  very  annoy- 
ing. After  that  experience  I  was  careful  to 
sleep  under  my  mosquito  bar,  and  have  been 
careful  to  do  so  ever  since  while  travelling  in 
the  tropics. 

After  we  had  gone  a  short  distance  further, 
the  Indians  stopped,  saying  that  we  had  reached 
the  limit  of  canoe  navigation,  and  must  now 
make   our  way  across   the   mountains   on   foot. 

71 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

Our  things  were  soon  landed,  the  canoe  drawn 
well  up  on  the  bank,  and  then  the  men  said  they 
would  have  to  rest  for  three  days.  Here  was 
more  trouble.  We  had  been  unusually  slow  as- 
cending the  river,  we  had  rested  a  day  and  a 
half  at  Wampoo,  and  I  had  lost  three  weeks  at 
Gualpatante.  With  such  progress  as  this  it 
seemed  only  reasonable  to  expect  that  my  rival 
would  gain  the  victory  and  destroy  the  com- 
pany's titles  before  I  could  succeed  in  having 
them  registered. 

I  was  anxious  enough,  and  tried  every  pos- 
sible means  to  start  the  men  on,  but  it  was  of 
no  use,  and  we  lost  the  balance  of  that  day,  and 
there  seemed  no  prospect  of  moving  for  all  the 
week. 

Next  morning  I  tried  again,  and  offered  to 
throw  away  a  lot  of  my  things  and  make  their 
packs  lighter,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  Then  I 
thought  of  a  bottle  of  brandy  in  one  of  my 
cases,  and  offered  it  to  them  for  the  evening 
if  they  would  go  on. 

This  suited  their  fancy.  They  will  do  any- 
thing for  whiskey  or  brandy,  and  arrangements 
were  soon  made.  I  threw  away  a  lot  of  my 
things,  and  gave  a  woollen  shirt  to  one  of  the 

72 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

young  men,  who  was  really  sick  from  cold  and 
exposure,  and  I  threw  away  all  the  things  in 
his  pack,  so  he  had  nothing  to  carry.  Among 
my  clothes  was  a  canvas  hunting-coat,  having 
the  usual  brass  buttons  with  animals'  heads. 
The  chief  took  a  great  fancy  to  it,  saying, 
"  Give  me  this,"  a  number  of  times.  I  was  not 
well  pleased,  and  told  him  I  would  see  him  fur^ 
ther  first,  yet  he  took  such  a  fancy  to  it,  going 
back  time  after  time  to  look  at  it,  all  the  while 
regarding  me  with  glittering,  envious  eyes,  that 
I  thought  if  this  man  would  murder  to  secure 
forty  dollars  from  a  person  who  trusted  him 
as  guide,  he  would  probably  do  as  much  to 
secure  the  coat  that  he  fancied  so  avariciously, 
consequently  I  gave  it  to  him,  and  then  all  were 
contented. 

It  was  a  pity  to  throw  away  so  many  useful 
things,  but  regrets  were  unavailing,  so  shoulder- 
ing my  rifle,  which  I  had  been  told  never  to 
trust  out  of  my  hands,  we  started,  the  chief 
leading  the  way. 

At  first  the  trail  was  easy,  and  I  began  to 
think  that  reports  were  exaggerated,  btit  pres- 
ently we  came  to  a  stream  that  must  be  forded. 
I  started  to  undress,  as  it  was  deep,  but  the 

73 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

chief  said,  "  No  use ;  can't  stop ;  must  walk 
river,"  which  was  hterally  true.  We  had  to 
scramble  along  its  rough  banks,  in  and  out  of 
the  water,  make  thirty-three  deep  fordings  and 
climb  up  and  down  all  sorts  of  places. 

The  novelty  kept  up  my  enthusiasm,  but 
about  the  middle  of  the  day  I  became  very  tired, 
and  once  slipped  over  quite  a  precipice,  and 
would  have  fallen  headlong  if  one  of  the  young 
men,  who  was  just  below  me,  had  not  caught  me 
in  his  arms.  I  fell  right  into  them,  and  though 
I  am  pretty  heavy,  his  strength  did  not  yield 
to  my  weight.  It  seemed  as  if  I  had  fallen 
against  a  well-braced  pair  of  posts,  and  then 
the  way  he  lifted  me  to  a  safe  place,  as  though 
I  weighed  nothing,  made  me  regard  him  with 
unusual  respect,  and  there  was  something  about 
the  care  with  which  he  handled  me  that  made 
me  feel  much  more  secure  with  these  wild  men. 

After  struggling  on  for  a  short  distance,  we 
fell  in  with  a  number  of  wild  hogs.  I  was  too 
tired  to  shoot,  but,  telling  the  chief  how  to  use 
the  sights,  I  handed  him  my  rifle,  knowing  that 
in  the  excitement  of  the  moment  he  would  think 
only  of  the  wild  hogs.  He  took  careful  aim. 
and  to  my  surprise  his  first  shot  with  a  rifle  was 

74 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

a  success,  and  we  had  a  large  wild  hog  that 
would  give  plenty  of  meat.  We  now  pushed 
on  higher  up  among  the  mountains,  and  finally 
made  camp  in  a  grove  of  giant  mahogany- 
trees. 

The  men  built  a  rancho  of  broad  vijao  leaves, 
and  then  asked  about  the  whiskey  I  had  prom- 
ised them.  I  told  them  we  would  have  it  as  soon 
as  I  put  on  some  dry  clothes. 

Then  they  went  to  work  preparing  the  pig, 
and  presently  I  called  them  to  me,  holding  up 
a  bottle  covered  with  a  neat  straw  case,  so  that 
they  could  all  see  it.  They  came  at  once  crowd- 
ing around  me,  and  I  stood  there  holding  the 
bottle,  still  covered  with  its  straw  case.  It  was 
a  scene  that  I  will  never  forget,  and  even  now 
I  can  fancy,  almost,  that  their  wild,  excited 
faces  are  pressing  close  about  me.  It  was  a 
repulsive  sight,  with  the  cords  of  their  necks 
rigid,  their  bloody  hands  clutching  their  great 
knives,  their  eyes  protruding,  indicating  the 
intense  strain  of  beastly  anticipation;  the  In- 
dians stood  with  their  whole  beings  rooted  hun- 
grily on  that  covered  bottle. 

I  held  it  up  for  an  instant,  and  then  with  a 


75 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

flourish  drew  off  the  straw  case  —  and  found 
that  the  bottle  was  empty. 

The  dark  rage  of  disappointment  that  came 
over  those  faces  sent  my  frightened  wits  to  the 
winds.  For  an  instant  my  life  was  not  worth 
a  cry  to  save  it,  nor  could  I  realize  what  was 
happening.  In  his  rage,  the  chief  standing 
next  me  raised  his  knife,  but,  as  he  was  bringing 
it  down  on  me,  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
caused  me  to  start  back,  and  to  accuse  the  man  at 
my  side  of  stealing  the  whiskey ;  then  the  knife 
that  was  intended  for  me  was  turned  and  thrust 
at  him,  and  but  for  my  interposing  my  hand 
he  would  have  been  killed.  He  had  carried  the 
pack  containing  the  whiskey,  and  now  the  mad- 
dened Indians  turned  on  him,  giving  no  heed 
to  his  protests;  he  had  carried  the  whiskey, 
and  it  was  gone.  His  face  changed  with  fright 
to  a  brownish  gray,  and  then,  my  wits  coming 
back,  I  threw  myself  between  him  and  the 
threatening  knives.  Now  I  saw  what  had  hap- 
pened; the  top  of  the  bottle  was  broken,  and 
I  led  the  men  over  to  my  pack;  they  followed, 
probably  expecting  a  fresh  bottle.  Then  I 
showed  them  my  clothes  soaked  with  brandy. 


76 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  their  rage  turned  to  despair;  they  almost 
wept,  and  the  five  sat  on  a  log  together,  a  piti- 
ful sight  in  their  disappointment. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  lull  in  the  storm, 
I  promised  them  that,  on  reaching  the  settle- 
ments, they  should  have  as  fine  a  drunk  as  the 
law  would  allow.  They  were  quieted  at  this 
promise,  and  with  a  sort  of  mournful  acquies- 
cence went  dejectedly  to  work  again  preparing 
the  pig  and  getting  dinner.  We  had  roast  pig 
and  a  kind  of  biscuit  that  they  made  out  of 
flour,  salt,  and  water;  the  dough  rolled  up  in 
thin  strips,  protected  by  leaves,  and  roasted 
over  the  fire. 

The  dinner  was  good,  and  we  ate  nearly  the 
whole  of  that  pig  and  all  the  biscuit.  I  was 
soon  ready  for  bed,  and  on  turning  in  took  the 
precaution  of  getting  under  my  mosquito-net 
and  keeping  my  pistol  in  my  hand. 

The  men  were  holding  a  consultation  together 
in  subdued  voices,  but  I  did  not  notice  this,  and 
presently  they  all  went  to  bed.  I  fell  asleep 
holding  my  pistol  in  my  hand,  and  I  can  re- 
member indistinctly  that  a  torch  was  held  near 
the  net  so  as  to  light  up  the  inside  for  a  time, 


77 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and,  half -awakened,  I  seemed  to  see  ugly  faces 
peering  through  at  me.  Perhaps  they  saw  the 
pistol,  and  so  kept  off,  but  it  might  have  been 
that  I  was  only  dreaming. 


78 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    X. 


TREACHERY   AND    POISON 


We  did  not  make  a  very  early  start  next 
morning,  and  the  men  were  slow  getting  break- 
fast, but  at  last  it  was  brought  to  me,  biscuit 
and  some  tinned  meat,  with  a  choice  piece  of 
wild  pig,  apparently  saved  especially  for  my 
benefit.  I  ate  heartily,  and  then  we  started 
on,  the  trail  now  leading  us  up  a  steep  moun- 
tain. 

Presently  I  began  to  feel  sick,  and  then  to 
grow  dizzy,  and  after  a  time  could  only  strug- 
gle along.  The  chief  saw  it,  was  indifferent, 
and  went  on ;  then  two  other  men  followed  him, 
and  the  two  younger  men,  who  were  a  little 
behind,  came  up  and  were  passing  on  with  the 
others.  Apparently  they  were  all  leaving  me 
alone  in  the  woods.  I  ordered  the  two  young 
men  to  stop,  but  they  would  not.     I  made  a 

79 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

motion  with  my  hand,  reaching  for  my  pistol. 
This  checked  them,  and  we  all  sat  down.  Then 
I  sent  one  of  them  for  water,  which  he  was  a 
long  time  bringing,  and  after  drinking  a  quan- 
tity I  felt  better.  I  do  not  think  they  intended 
to  kill  me  with  poison,  but  only  gave  me  some- 
thing that  would  make  me  sick,  and  then  it 
would  be  an  easy  thing  to  let  me  lose  my  way. 

I  rested  awhile,  and,  having  drunk  a  quantity 
of  water,  was  ready  to  go  on  again.  After  a 
time  we  overtook  the  others  sitting  by  the  road- 
side, and  the  boys  got  a  fine  blowing  up  from 
the  chief  in  words  which  I  could  not  understand. 
I  made  poor  progress  that  day,  and  it  was  hard 
work  to  keep  up  at  all.  We  fell  in  with  a  flock 
of  wild  turkeys ;  I  handed  my  rifle  to  the  chief, 
and  he  killed  an  unusually  large  one,  which  gave 
us  plenty  of  fresh  meat  again.  We  did  not 
go  much  farther,  and  at  night  made  camp  in 
a  beautiful  ravine  among  the  mountains,  where 
there  was  a  stream  so  cold  that  I  could  scarcely 
bathe  in  it.  On  one  side  was  a  high  precipice, 
and  a  sloping  mountain  on  the  other,  with  a 
little  open  place  of  fresh,  green  grass  by  the 
stream.  It  was  an  enchanting  place,  and  I  be- 
gan to  feel  better  at  once. 

80 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Keeping  my  pistol  ready  at  my  side,  I  took  no 
special  notice  of  the  Indians.  They  were  hold- 
ing a  whispered  conversation,  and  after  a  time 
seemed  to  agree  on  some  point,  and  began  pre- 
paring the  camp  for  the  night.  Presently  the 
chief  came  to  me,  and  said  in  Spanish :  "A 
bad  place  for  tigers  [jaguars]  here;  two  men 
have  been  eaten,  and  we  are  afraid." 

"  Never  mind,"  I  said,  "  I  have  my  rifle  and 
pistol,  and  will  kill  them  if  they  come." 

"  But  jou  are  under  your  mosquito-net  and  in 
no  danger."  Which  was  true;  a  jaguar,  or 
tiger,  as  they  call  them,  will  walk  around  a 
mosquito  bar  all  night,  often  forming  a  beaten 
track  about  it,  but  it  has  never  been  known  to 
make  an  attack.  "  Yes,"  the  chief  continued, 
"  for  you  no  danger,  but  for  us,  we  have  no 
guns;  give  me  your  rifle  and  I  will  take  good 
care  of  you." 

Not  wishing  to  refuse  at  once,  I  said  he  could 
have  it  when  I  went  to  bed,  and  with  a  look 
of  triumph  and  delight  he  went  back  to  tell  the 
others. 

Here  was  a  predicament,  and  I  began  to  con- 
sider earnestly  how  I  was  to  get  out  of  it.  The 
Indians  were  now  in  another  mysterious  consul- 

81 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

tation,  and  presently  they  came  to  me,  and  the 
chief  said,  "  The  tigers  are  so  bad  here  we  are 
afraid  with  only  the  rifle;  give  this  man  your 
pistol,  and  we  will  sleep  each  side  of  you  and 
keep  you  very  safe;  no  harm  will  come,  not 
anything." 

I  replied,  "  When  I  go  to  bed  you  can  have 
it."  They  were  delighted,  and  went  off  to- 
gether, but  they  soon  came  back,  asking  if  I 
had  an3rthing  else  that  would  shoot.  On  being 
told  that  I  had  not,  they  asked  if  I  would  not 
let  them  have  my  big  knife,  because  the  tigers 
were  so  dangerous,  and  they  would  be  afraid 
even  with  the  pistol  and  the  rifle.  Evidently  the 
plan  was  to  disarm  me  entirely,  and  I  told  them 
to  wait  till  I  went  to  bed,  and  they  could  then 
have  what  they  wanted.  I  kept  my  firearms 
carefully  in  my  hand,  and  was  glad  to  find  that 
they  did  not  demand  them  at  once,  and  so  I  re- 
mained, considering. 

The  men  were  now  in  high  spirits,  and  went 
to  work  getting  supper,  and  making  up  a  very 
comfortable  bed  for  me. 

As  soon  as  the  turkey  was  ready,  they  all  sat 
around,  picking  out  choice  pieces  for  me,  and 
urging  me  to  eat  all  that  I  could.     Then  they 

82 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

had  their  supper,  and  after  that  went  down  to 
the  stream  to  clean  up  the  dishes,  chattering 
like  a  lot  of  children.  The  mosquito-net  was 
hanging  conveniently,  and  lifting  up  one  cor- 
ner, I  sHpped  my  rifle,  pistol,  and  hunting-knife 
under  it,  crawled  in  myself,  and  with  my  pistol 
in  my  hand  sat  up  waiting  for  developments. 

I  could  see  out  very  well,  but,  as  the  net  was 
made  of  unbleached  muslin,  no  one  could  tell 
exactly  where  I  was,  and,  if  there  should  be  any 
attempt  to  cut  through  at  me,  I  could  shoot 
before  the  knife  could  find  me  out.  The  In- 
dians seemed  to  know  this.  When  they  came 
back,  they  walked  around  the  net,  talked,  con- 
sidered, and  finally  gave  it  up,  and  each  one 
went  to  bed.  Then  I  felt  relieved  and  was  soon 
asleep,  well  assured  that  I  was  perfectly  safe  till 
the  morning. 

I  was  up  early,  and  met  a  rather  ugly  crowd 
of  Indians.  No  breakfast  was  prepared,  and  I 
had  to  get  along  with  the  remains  of  the  turkey 
and  some  crackers.  The  men  said  very  little, 
but  shouldered  their  packs,  and  marched  off,  I 
following  them.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  the 
men  put  down  their  packs  by  a  brook,  and  stood 
talking  together;   their  faces  indicated  trouble, 

83 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  I  thought  to  myself,  "  Now  it  is  really 
coming."  I  took  little  notice  of  them,  however, 
and  pretended  to  be  examining  some  rocks,  and 
presently  pretending  that  I  was  deeply  inter- 
ested, I  climbed  up  on  one,  which  kept  me  well 
out  of  the  way  of  their  knives.  The  men  stood 
and  watched  me  for  awhile,  and  then  the  chief 
came  to  the  rock,  and  looking  up  at  me  said: 

"  We  have  been  considering.  You  have  given 
one  of  us  a  shirt,  and  that  is  good;  and  you 
have  given  one  of  us  a  coat,  and  that  is  very 
good;  but  now  the  three  other  boys  are  so  dis- 
couraged they  can't  get  over  this  high  moun- 
tain unless  you  take  out  your  money  and  give 
them  each  another  dollar." 

I  replied  that  I  was  sorry,  but  I  had  no 
money;  that  the  trader  had  paid  them  for  me, 
as  they  knew,  and  then  I  went  on  examining  the 
rock,  I  am  sure  not  with  great  attention,  except 
in  appearance,  because  I  have  never  been  able  to 
remember  what  kind  of  rock  it  was. 

"  We  can't  go  on  unless  we  see  the  money." 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied,  "  stay  here.  I  have 
no  money." 

Then  the  chief  went  back  to  the  men,  and 
they  talked  awhile  longer.     Then  he  came  back 

84. 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

again  and  said :  "  But  you  must  have  money. 
All  Americans  have  money;  only  Indians  are 
poor.  The  boys  can't  go  on  unless  you  show 
them  your  money  and  give  them  each  another 
dollar." 

"  I  have  money,"  I  said,  "  but  not  here ;  I 
must  go  to  bring  it,  and  you  must  take  good 
care  of  me  when  I  come  back,  because  I  will  have 
a  thousand  dollars  with  me ;  more  than  you  ever 
saw  before,  and  I  will  sleep  at  your  house  so 
that  you  can  take  good  care  of  me." 

He  opened  his  eyes  and  went  back,  and  they 
talked  some  more.  Then  he  came  again,  and 
was  a  little  more  threatening  in  his  appearance : 
"  We  know  you  have  got  money,"  he  said,  "  and 
we  want  to  see  it,  and  the  boys  won't  go  on." 

"  I  have  only  a  little,"  I  said,  showing  a  few 
loose  dollars  that  I  carried  in  my  pocket ;  "  but 
I  will  do  this.  When  we  get  to  the  settlements, 
let  the  people  know  that  I  have  very  little 
money,  and  that  they  must  take  me  on  cheap; 
then,  if  I  have  any  money  left,  I  will  give  each 
of  the  boys  another  dollar."  He  went  back, 
and  in  a  few  moments  came  to  me  again  and 
said :  "  It  is  this  way :  we  are  thinking  of  the 
drink  you  promised  us;   perhaps  we  can  go  on. 

85 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

Will  you  surely  give  it  to  us  ?  "  and  there  was 
an  anxious  look  in  his  face. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  you  can  depend  on  it." 

"All  we  want.?" 

"  Yes,   all  you  want." 

"  But  we  can  drink  a  lot." 

"  Never  mind,  go  on ;    you  shall  have  it." 

"  Sefior,"  said  the  chief,  "  that  will  cost  a 
lot  of  money.  You  have  got  money;  we  want 
to  see  it,"  and  an  ugly  look  came  in  his  face, 
while  the  men  crowded  up  to  the  rock.  They 
certainly  had  me,  but  they  saw  that  my  pistol 
was  ready,  and  I  sat  there  facing  them.  Sud- 
denly a  thought  came  to  me,  and  I  said,  hastily, 
"  I  have  credit.  I  can  get  all  the  things  I  want ; 
you  shall  have  the  rum,  even  though  I  have  no 
money  here  to  pay  for  it."  Then  I  showed  the 
chief  my  wallet,  with  passport,  and  some  docu- 
ments with  big  seals  on  them.  He  looked  at 
it  and  said:    "This  credit?" 

"  Yes,  but  only  when  I  sign  the  bill." 

They  traded  on  credit  themselves,  and  after 
a  moment  the  chief  said :  "  He  hasn't  any 
money;    let's  go  on." 

"  But  he  has  lots  of  things,"  said  one  of  the 
young  men,  looking  at  the  packs. 

86 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  heard  nothing  more,  and  presently  they 
took  up  their  packs  and  marched  on. 

I  had  no  more  trouble  with  them  for  two 
or  three  days,  but  one  morning  we  came  to  a 
Piyu  village,  and  the  men  said  that  they  must 
stop  there  for  the  night.  I  protested,  and  said 
I  would  not,  that  they  must  go  on;  but  it  was 
of  no  use,  and  my  men  went  off  with  the  Piyu 
men,  and  all  talked  together  at  the  edge  of 
the  jungle. 

I  felt  miserably.  My  men  were  evidently 
unwilling  to  kill  me  themselves,  because  they 
feared  my  friend  the  trader;  but  if  the  Piyu 
men  killed  me,  that  was  a  different  thing. 

The  wife  of  the  chief  in  that  village  was  part 
Spanish,  and  I  began  to  talk  to  her,  and  pres- 
ently asked  if  I  was  to  be  her  guest.  She  re- 
plied that  she  supposed  so. 

"  But  will  I  be  safe  here  to-night  ?  "  She 
made  no  answer. 

"  Had  I  better  go  on  to  the  settlements  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  you  had  better  go  on ; 
there  is  plenty  of  time." 

"  But  the  men  won't  go." 

"  Make  them,"  she  said. 

I  went  out,  and  angrily  commanded  the  men 

87 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

to  go  on,  but  they  would  not  even  answer  me. 
Here  was  fresh  trouble  —  to  get  all  through  the 
wilderness  on  my  wits  and  then  to  be  killed  by 
these  miserable  Piyu  men.  I  was  turning  over 
various  plans,  and  presently  went  back  to  the 
house  and  saw  the  woman  again,  and  said  to  her, 
"  The  men  won't  go.  Will  I  be  safe  here  to- 
night?" 

She  made  no  answer. 

"  Am  I  your  guest  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  will  any  harm  come  to  a  guest  in  your 
house  .f*  " 

She  looked  away. 

"  A  guest,  and  not  safe  in  your  house.'' "  I 
protested. 

She  looked  at  me  and  then  at  my  pistol. 
"  Can  you  shoot  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Then  do  this : 
hang  your  hammock  across  that  corner;  I  will 
bring  my  mats  and  sleep  just  outside  it.  If  I 
touch  your  foot  in  the  night,  be  ready  and  shoot 
quickly." 

We  fixed  the  things,  and  then  she  said: 
*'  Now,  you  will  be  safe."  She  was  evidently 
a  determined  woman.  The  Piyu  chief  objected 
to  the  arrangements,  but  that  is  all  the  good 

88 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

it  did  him,  and  when  night  came  I  was  soon 
asleep,  and  had  a  thoroughly  good  night's  rest. 
Next  morning,  grateful  to  my  good  hostess,  I 
started  on  and  reached  Coulme,  the  chief  city  of 
the  civilized  Piyu  Indians,  about  three  in  the 
afternoon. 

It  was  a  great  relief.  I  had  now  reached  the 
settlements  and  was  on  the  main  road  to  the 
capital,  which  I  could  reasonably  hope  to  reach 
in  three  or  four  days.  At  Coulme  the  civilized 
Piyu  men  did  ever3rthing  for  me,  so  soon  as 
they  found  I  had  not  come  from  an  infected 
district,  and  all  they  had  was  at  my  disposition. 
The  chief  of  their  village  called  a  council,  and 
he  and  the  alcalde  examined  my  papers,  and, 
with  all  the  men  of  the  place  crowding  about, 
made  polite  speeches  of  welcome. 

My  men  said  I  had  no  money  as  they  had 
promised,  and  the  alcalde  asked  me  about  it; 
but  I  said  I  had  plenty,  and  a  tired  look  came 
over  the  faces  of  my  guides.  They  could  not 
get  any  rum,  because  there  was  none  to  be  had, 
but  I  was  safe  now,  and  did  not  care.  I  gave 
them  each  the  extra  dollar;  they  seemed  to  be 
content,  and  that  was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of 
them.      I   have  travelled   very   far   since  then, 

89 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

but  I  have  never  had  guides  that  were  so  diffi- 
cult to  manage. 

Urged  by  the  necessity  of  my  mission,  I  asked 
the  Piyu  Indians  to  send  me  on  at  once,  though 
I  would  have  gladly  remained  a  few  days  with 
them.  Two  sturdy  little  men  shouldered  all 
my  things,  and  in  a  short  time  delivered  me 
safely  to  the  regular  authorities  at  the  nearest 
Spanish  town.  Here  arrangements  were  made 
for  sending  me  to  the  capital.  Nothing  had 
been  heard  of  my  opponent,  and  I  began  to  feel 
secure. 

Without  waiting  for  breakfast,  I  started  on 
next  morning,  riding  a  stout  mule,  a  young 
Spanish-American  peon  for  my  attendant,  and 
every  prospect  of  reaching  the  end  of  my  jour- 
ney without  further  trouble.  I  had  expected 
to  buy  something  to  eat  on  the  road,  but  had 
not  succeeded  very  well,  which  was  inconvenient. 
About  noon  we  came  to  a  broad,  circular  de- 
pression in  the  valley,  surrounded  by  green 
grass-grown  hills  that  looked  like  great  waves 
just  ready  to  break  and  sweep  all  before  them; 
beyond  were  the  mountains,  looming  up  with 
startling  effect,  distant,  yet  seeming  to  hang, 
as   it  were,  just  over  those  picturesque   green 

90 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

hills,  like  clouds  hanging  over  the  waves  of  the 
ocean.  As  we  crossed  this  strange  place,  I 
noticed  what  appeared  to  be  fine  mushrooms 
growing  abundantly,  and  asked  my  guide  what 
they  were. 

"  Fruit  of  the  earth,"  he  replied. 

"  Are  they  good  to  eat  ?  "  I  asked,  feeling 
decidedly  hungry. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  after  a  moment's  hesitation, 
and  then  added,  eagerly,  "  Shall  I  get  some  for 
you.?  " 

"  Yes,  I  would  like  to  try  them." 

He  brought  two  almost  as  large  as  dessert 
plates,  and  then  rode  on  with  one  in  his  hand. 
By  all  appearances  they  were  the  finest  of  mush- 
rooms. I  tasted  cautiously,  and  then  ate  one 
and  part  of  another;  but  just  then  I  noticed 
that  my  man  was  not  eating  his,  and  I  thought 
to  myself,  "  Now  you  have  been  a  fool."  But 
on  waiting  a  moment,  and  not  feeling  any  ill 
effects  except  a  sort  of  acid  coppery  taste  in 
the  mouth,  I  did  not  take  any  action,  and  rode 
on,  my  man  watching  me  intently.  It  was  an 
extremely  hot  day,  and  some  hours  later,  at 
about  three  p.  m.,  while  riding  across  a  treeless 
plain,  my  stomach  suddenly  felt  as  if  some  one 

91 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

had  stuck  a  knife  into  it,  and  then  had  poured 
hot  oil  in  after  the  knife.  I  struggled  to  the 
ground,  and  by  tickling  the  palate  caused  a 
period  of  vomiting,  and  relieved  my  stomach 
of  a  quantity  of  hard  yellow  matter,  though 
I  had  eaten  very  little.  For  a  moment  or  two 
I  felt  better,  and  then  the  pains  came  on  again, 
and  the  burning,  which  now  extended  all  up 
my  throat  and  to  my  nose  and  mouth,  was  almost 
unendurable.  I  threw  myself  down  in  the  shade 
and  asked  my  man  to  get  me  water.  He  looked 
at  me  indifferently  and  said,  "  There  is  none 
nearer  than  a  mile,  and  I  have  nothing  to  carry 
it  in." 

The  pain  increased,  and  still  he  sat  watching, 
making  no  effort  to  help  me.  Now  the  burning 
had  extended  to  all  my  body,  my  mouth  seemed 
perfectly  dry,  and  a  sort  of  delirium  was  ever 
increasing  in  my  brain,  till,  almost  beside  myself 
with  pain,  I  got  on  my  feet,  clutched  the  mane 
of  my  mule,  and  guided  him  on,  seeking  the 
river,  though  it  was  some  distance  before  me. 
I  had  taken  only  a  few  steps  when  further  prog- 
ress became  impossible;  I  could  scarcely  see, 
and  had  lost  all  control  over  my  legs.  If  any- 
thing was  to  be  done,  it  must  be  quickly.     I 

9^ 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

had  all  sorts  of  remedies  for  fevers  and  sick- 
ness, but  had  never  thought  of  being  poisoned. 
Suddenly  I  remembered  a  can  of  vaseline  in  my 
saddle-bags.  I  got  it  out  I  don't  know  how; 
the  day  was  so  hot  it  had  turned  to  oil,  but  any- 
thing to  drink  would  have  been  acceptable,  and 
so  I  swallowed  a  quantity  of  the  liquid  vaseline. 
I  will  never  forget  the  sensation  of  that  swallow- 
ing ;  it  seemed  to  touch  every  point  in  my  burn- 
ing throat  and  stomach,  and  to  set  them  at  rest. 
I  saw  again,  and  my  first  thought  was  for  water. 
By  keeping  one  hand  on  my  mule  I  staggered 
on,  followed  by  my  indifferent  peon,  and  just 
as  the  pains  were  coming  on  again  I  reached 
the  river  and  fell  to  drinking  water,  and  when 
I  could  drink  no  more  I  thrust  my  arms  deep 
into  the  cool  stream,  and  the  very  pores  of  the 
skin  seemed  to  lick  up  the  water.  At  intervals 
I  would  drink  all  I  could,  stopping  only  when  it 
was  physically  impossible  to  take  more;  yet  in 
two  or  three  minutes  I  would  be  drinking  again 
as  eagerly  as  ever.  Where  the  water  went  to 
I  have  no  idea;  it  seems  as  though  the  human 
body  could  not  hold  the  amount  I  drank. 

After  a  time  there  came  a  lull  in  the  pain, 
and  the  desire  for  water  left  me,  and  then  there 

93 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

was  a  delicious  sensation  of  languor  and  rest 
all  over  my  body.  I  lay  there  exhausted,  and 
feeling  a  numbness  and  chill  come  over  me,  I 
believed  that  I  was  dying,  and  did  not  care. 
Then  thoughts  of  my  defeated  mission,  the 
triumph  of  my  rival,  the  grief  at  my  home  far 
away  in  the  North ;  all  came  vividly  to  my  mind, 
and  I  determined  that  I  would  not  die.  I  stag- 
gered to  my  feet,  mounted  after  several  attempts 
and  started  on  a  wild  ride  for  help  to  the  little 
city  of  El  Real,  about  three  miles  away.  As 
I  went  I  made  the  mule  jounce  and  shake  me 
on  the  saddle,  which  seemed  to  keep  up  the  circu- 
lation. As  I  drew  near  the  city  I  got  a  little 
boy,  whom  I  overtook,  to  run  ahead  and  buy 
some  raw  eggs.  Presently  he  met  me  with  them, 
and  the  whites  of  these  gave  considerable  relief. 
Then  I  got  a  big  gourd  of  water;  there  must 
have  been  about  three  quarts.  It  had  a  sweet- 
ish taste,  but  I  drank  it  all,  and  in  an  instant 
I  was  vomiting  with  almost  incredible  violence, 
and  was  nearly  suffocated  by  it.  I  relieved  my- 
self of  more  of  the  hard  yellow  matter  and 
quantities  of  water,  and  was  thoroughly  sat- 
isfied that  there  was  nothing  more  in  my  stom- 
ach.      My   servant   now   became   all   attention. 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

took  me  to  a  good  house  and  did  for  me  every- 
thing that  was  possible.  After  resting  a  short 
time  I  took  some  rum  and  black  coffee,  went  to 
bed  and  fell  into  a  sort  of  stupor,  in  which  I 
knew  nothing,  but  was  dimly  conscious  that  at 
intervals  all  through  the  night  my  man  came 
and  rubbed  my  arms  and  legs  vigorously. 

The  next  morning  I  was  better,  and  rode  on 
to  Jutigalpa,  the  capital  of  the  Department  of 
Olancho,  the  point  toward  which  I  had  been 
struggling  so  long. 

I  inquired  anxiously  for  my  rival;  nothing 
had  been  heard  of  him.     I  had  arrived  first. 

Without  losing  any  time,  I  went  to  the  gov- 
ernment offices  and  registered  my  titles,  and 
then  drew  a  long  breath.  My  rival  could  come 
as  soon  as  he  wished;  the  registry  was  com- 
plete. 


95 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XI. 

PERPLEXITIES     AND     SPANISH  -  AMERICAN     HOSPI- 
TALITY 

Next  day  my  first  care  was  to  arrange  for 
an  expedition  down  the  river  with  sufficient 
equipment  to  relieve  my  companions  and  bring 
up  all  our  things.  I  went  to  a  merchant  on 
whom  I  had  letters  of  credit,  to  be  sure  that 
funds  were  available,  and,  on  being  assured 
that  money  was  there  at  my  disposal,  felt  that 
I  could  safely  send  after  my  companions,  and 
started  the  expedition  at  once.  Then  I  rented 
a  small  house,  hotels  being  unknown  in  Juti- 
galpa,  and  made  myself  comfortable. 

I  was  far  from  the  beaten  track  in  a  quaint 
old  Spanish-American  city,  the  principal  place 
in  the  great  interior  valley  of  the  Olancho;  a 
region  shut  in  by  lofty  mountain  ranges,  iso- 
lated, almost,  from  the  outer  world.     Shortly 

96 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  found  myself  in  need  of  more  money,  having 
reduced  my  funds  to  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents, 
and  went  to  the  merchant  on  whom  my  letters 
of  credit  were  drawn. 

He  was  quite  ready  to  supply  funds,  but  when 
I  presented  a  draft,  he  said :  "  There  is  some 
mistake  here,  my  instructions  are  that  your 
superintendent   must   countersign   all   drafts." 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  I  deposited  the  money  per- 
sonally, and  the  credit  is  secured  against  my 
own  deposit."  Explanations  were  of  no  avail, 
however,  some  mistake  had  been  made;  I  could 
have  no  money,  was  alone  in  a  strange  city  with 
only  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  between  myself 
and  starvation,  the  mail  comunications  uncer- 
tain, and  no  possibility  that  a  letter  could  reach 
New  York  under  six  weeks.  Here  was  a  diffi- 
culty, and,  to  make  matters  more  complicated,  a 
polite  constable  came  that  afternoon  to  arrest 
me  because  of  some  matters  relating  to  unpaid 
debts  contracted  some  years  earlier  by  my  super- 
intendent. The  prospect  was  not  altogether 
charming,  but,  remembering  that  if  I  were  ar- 
rested they  would  at  least  have  to  feed  me,  a 
consideration  I  was  not  in  a  position  to  despise, 
I  submitted  willingly;    and  then  the  constable 

97 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

decided  that  he  would  not  arrest  me,  went  his 
way,  and  left  me  to  wonder  why  he  had  come 
and  what  I  should  do.  Fortunately,  I  had  paid 
for  my  house  in  advance,  so  I  was  sure  of  a  place 
in  which  to  sleep,  and,  as  bananas  were  three  for 
a  cent,  I  would  not  starve;  but  the  diet  was 
not  the  most  exhilarating.  I  lived  on  bananas 
for  three  days,  kept  my  own  counsel  and  waited. 
I  was  an  object  of  curiosity,  the  boys  of  the 
town  wandered  in  and  out  of  my  house  at  will, 
and  all  the  fruit  venders  came  to  offer  me 
bananas.  The  third  day,  in  the  afternoon,  I 
was  delighted  to  receive  a  visit  from  a  gentle- 
man who  spoke  perfect  English,  and  who  in- 
quired minutely  about  my  affairs. 

With  many  apologies  he  assured  me  that  I 
was  most  welcome  to  their  city,  and  that  he 
hoped  I  understood  their  difficulty  in  accepting 
drafts  from  strangers,  in  fact,  almost  every 
American  who  had  visited  their  city  had  sold 
drafts  which  on  being  presented  had  proved 
worthless ;  and  so,  with  many  profuse  apologies, 
he  protested  it  was  not  lack  of  hospitality,  but 
only  that  they  had  lost  so  frequently.  I  assured 
him  I  understood,  and  did  not  expect  any  one 
to  take  an  unsecured  draft.     Still  he  protested, 

98 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

apologizing  and  regretting  my  three  days'  in- 
convenience, and  finally  ended  by  saying  that 
he  had  been  selling  cattle,  and,  having  a  bal- 
ance of  three  thousand  dollars  on  hand,  begged 
that  I  would  accept  it  until  my  funds  arrived, 
and  hoped  that  I  would  excuse  his  neglect  in 
not  offering  sooner.  This  was  indeed  Spanish 
hospitality,  and  I  told  him  if  he  would  lend 
me  enough  money  to  cable  home,  my  funds 
would  arrive  immediately.  We  went  to  the 
telegraph  office  without  delay,  and  next  morn- 
ing a  reply  came,  bringing  ample  funds,  my 
credit  was  established,  and  every  door  was 
opened  wide  for  me. 

To  become  a  part  of  the  daily  life  in  a  re- 
mote Spanish-American  city  was  a  charming 
experience,  and  I  have  the  most  pleasant  recol- 
lections of  my  brief  visit  to  Jutigalpa ;  so  pleas- 
ant indeed  that  I  am  often  planning  to  return. 
There  is  a  legend  of  an  enchantment  pertaining 
to  a  group  of  rocks  overhanging  a  deep  pool 
in  the  Olancho  River,  and  it  is  related  that  who- 
ever dives  from  those  rocks  to  the  deep,  clear 
water  below  them  must  return  to  Olancho,  and 
die  there;  though  the  venturesome  person  who 
dares  the  enchantment  may  wander  far  over  the 

99 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

face  of  the  earth,  and  return  to  and  leave  the 
valley  many  times,  yet  in  the  end  he  will  die 
in  Olancho.  Each  morning  a  goodly  company 
of  men  and  boys  would  visit  the  deep  pool  for 
a  bath;  it  was  the  regular  morning  exercise, 
and  I  rarely  failed  to  find  a  place  in  the  party. 
I  am  not  a  believer  in  charms,  and  have  taken 
a  header  from  that  enchanted  ledge  of  rocks 
many  times.  Since  then  I  have  wandered  very 
far,  yet  I  have  never  found  a  place  so  beautiful 
as  the  valley  of  the  Olancho,  and  some  day  I 
hope  to  return  to  it  once  again. 

After  our  bath  we  would  go  back  to  the  city 
for  breakfast,  and  then  the  morning's  work 
would  be  taken  up,  and  by  noon-time  much 
would  have  been  accomplished.  Then  came  the 
dreamy  rest  through  the  heat  of  the  day,  when 
one  simply  sat  at  ease  and  did  not  care  even  to 
think.  Usually  some  friends  would  come  to  my 
house,  and  pleasant  hours  were  spent  smoking, 
idling,  and  discussing  affairs  of  local  interest; 
then  in  the  afternoon  work  again,  and  at  even- 
ing a  walk  about  the  city,  visiting  friends  or 
stopping  to  talk  with  young  ladies  seated  in 
their  low,  open,  but  heavily  guarded  windows. 

One  beautiful  moonlight  night,  as  I  strolled 

100 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

about  alone,  I  passed  the  shop  of  a  humble 
shoemaker,  who  was  seated  before  his  door. 
As  I  passed  he  politely  invited  me  to  a  seat; 
such  an  invitation  did  seem  a  little  strange  from 
my  shoemaker,  yet,  not  wishing  to  appear  rude, 
I  accepted  his  invitation,  and  found  him  well 
informed  about  the  valley  and  its  history.  Pres- 
ently the  Governor  of  Olancho  came  passing  by, 
and  the  shoemaker  invited  him  to  a  seat,  which 
he  accepted  at  once;  then  a  Senator  for  the 
district,  and  one  of  the  richest  men  in  the  city, 
came  that  way,  and  he,  too,  took  a  seat  at  the 
shoemaker's  door.  Surely  we  were  a  mixed 
company,  yet  no  differences  were  made ;  a  shoe- 
maker, a  stranger  who  had  come  among  them, 
one  of  the  city's  richest  men,  and  the  Governor 
of  the  Province,  all  on  a  pleasant  footing  to- 
gether, without  any  pretension;  yet  the  shoe- 
maker never  failed  in  due  respect,  nor  was  there 
anything  in  his  manner  from  which  one  might 
infer  that  he  did  not  think  himself  good  enough 
to  pay  his  respects  where  respect  was  due. 

Among  such  surroundings  the  days  went 
pleasantly,  and  my  brief  rest  was  thoroughly 
enjoyed.  It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  the 
time  of  festivities,   and  there  were  bull-fights, 

101 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

parades,  and  on  Christmas  Eve  dances  and  fam- 
ily reunions;  to  all  of  which  I  was  invited, 
and  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure  of  more 
kindly  entertainment.  The  principal  reunion 
was  given  by  Governor  Zalaya's  family,  and 
there  all  the  best  people  of  the  city  were  gath- 
ered together.  Etiquette  was  somewhat  differ- 
ent from  our  customs.  The  company  was  in- 
vited at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  it  was 
polite  to  arrive  on  the  minute.  Guests  did  not 
go  directly  to  the  house,  but  as  the  hour  ap- 
proached stood  near,  and  when  the  great  clock 
in  the  church  chimed  eight  we  all  filed  in  to- 
gether, and  were  received  by  our  host  and  host- 
ess; then  the  gentlemen  went  to  one  room,  the 
ladies  to  another,  and  the  sounds  of  pleasant 
conversation  filled  the  house.  Everywhere  were 
preparations  for  merrymaking;  at  the  doors 
and  in  the  yard  servants,  peons,  and  estate 
tenants  were  gathered,  enjoying  themselves  at 
the  expense  of  their  masters,  and  a  great  com- 
pany they  all  made;  but  within  the  house  were 
only  the  guests,  not  so  very  many,  merely  the 
family  and  their  most  particular  friends.  A 
good  time,  a  period  of  thorough  enjoyment, 
has  an  effect  on  one's  spirits,  and  all  this  scene 

102 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

was  most  exhilarating.  After  we  had  talked 
together  for  awhile,  a  lively  polka  was  started, 
and  the  ladies  came  from  their  room  in  single 
file  and  stood  with  their  backs  to  the  wall  in 
the  main  saloon,  and  then  the  men  filed  out 
of  their  room  and  stood  looking  on.  The  young 
ladies  were  pretty,  modest,  and  becomingly 
dressed;  some  of  the  jewels  were  truly  magnifi- 
cent. I  was  told  later  that  many  of  them  had 
been  handed  down  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion since  the  days  of  the  Spanish  conquest. 

A  friend  whispered  to  me  that  I  should  not 
seek  a  partner  at  once,  that  there  were  more  men 
than  ladies,  and  it  would  be  polite  for  the  men 
to  give  place  to  each  other;  so  after  a  moment 
of  forbearance,  and  mutual  urgings  among  the 
gentlemen,  a  dance  was  arranged,  and  to  meas- 
ured music  now  grown  slower  we  danced  about 
the  great  saloon,  while  the  servants,  peons,  and 
their  friends  stood  looking  in  at  the  door.  I 
was  dancing  with  a  charming  little  Senorita,  but 
found  myself  no  match  among  my  Spanish- 
American  friends,  who  were  going  through  a 
series  of  graceful  figures  and  a  great  variety 
of  steps,  a  sort  of  quadrille-polka  and  stately 
ceremony  combined.     I  could  take  no  part  in 

103 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

this,  so  devoted  myself  to  my  partner,  and 
found  the  dance  very  pleasant.  When  it  was 
over,  I  took  her  to  a  comfortable  seat  in  the 
great  saloon,  and,  drawing  a  smaller  chair  to 
her  side,  sat  in  it  myself,  expecting  a  pleasant 
conversation  till  the  next  dance;  but  she  sim- 
ply gave  me  an  appealing  look,  and  said  noth- 
ing. Then  I  noticed  my  hostess  standing  near 
the  ladies'  room  as  if  petrified  with  dismay, 
a  look  of  horror  on  her  face,  while  all  the  young 
ladies  were  staring  as  if  their  eyes  would  pop 
out. 

There  was  an  instant  of  bewildered  looks,  then 
the  Senorita's  Duenna  came  anxiously  to  the 
rescue,  and  hurried  her  to  safety  in  the  ladies' 
room,  but  as  she  went  she  looked  back  at  me 
with  a  merry  laugh,  and  I  knew  the  Senorita  had 
enjoyed  the  adventure.  Then  some  of  the  men 
told  me  that  I  had  committed  the  greatest  in- 
decorum, that  no  man  could  sit  by  a  young 
lady  under  any  circumstances.  That  I  was  a 
stranger  was  sufficient  explanation,  and  when  I 
told  my  hostess  of  our  customs  at  home  during 
a  dance,  she  was  deeply  interested,  and  I  was 
entirely   forgiven. 

We  danced  till  midnight  and  then  went  to 

104 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

mass,  a  beautiful  custom  and  ceremony;  the 
church  was  filled  to  overflowing,  all  the  dancers 
and  merrymakers  in  the  city  having  come,  re- 
membering their  religious  duties  as  the  first  act 
of  Christmas  morning.  Then  each  party  went 
again  to  their  festivities,  and  we  who  were  the 
Governor's  guests  returned  to  a  bountiful  sup- 
per, where  there  were  many  diff^erent  kinds  of 
meats  and  rich  dishes,  but  very  little  in  the  way 
of  sweets.  The  ladies  all  sat  at  a  long  table,  and 
the  men  attended  them,  standing  respectfully 
behind  their  chairs;  then  when  the  ladies  had 
finished,  they  went  back  to  their  room,  and  the 
men  had  supper.  After  this,  dancing  was  con- 
tinued till  sunrise,  the  men  going  about  the  city, 
visiting  other  dances  to  which  they  had  been 
invited,  and  returning  to  the  Governor's  dance 
at  pleasure,  for  after  supper  everything  became 
quite  informal.  It  was  broad  daylight  when 
we  went  home,  all  agreeing  that  we  had  enjoyed 
a  most  delightful  entertainment;  for  myself, 
I  have  never  since  attended  a  dance  where  thor- 
ough enjoyment,  friendship,  and  courtesy  were 
so  charmingly  blended. 

I  was  fortunate  to  have  been  in  Jutigalpa 
during   Christmas   week,   and   shall   always   re- 

105 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

member  it  as  one  of  the  most  pleasant  experi- 
ences in  all  my  travels,  yet  I  was  not  sorry  when 
the  festivities  were  over  and  I  could  take  up 
my  work  again. 


106 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XII. 

EXAMINING   A    MINE    UNDER    DIFFICULTIES 

My  first  effort  was  to  seek  the  mines  that 
I  had  come  so  far  to  investigate,  and  a  few 
days  later  I  left  the  hospitable  city  of  Juti- 
galpa,  and  with  a  comfortable  outfit  made  my 
way  up  the  Olancho  valley  to  the  valley  of  Lapa- 
guera,  —  a  place  beautiful  almost  beyond  de- 
scription. The  broad  valley,  level  like  a  prairie, 
covered  with  green  grass,  extended  east  and 
west  almost  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach ;  thou- 
sands of  cattle  were  quietly  feeding,  a  few  trees 
in  groups  were  seen  at  places,  and  on  either  side, 
rising  abruptly,  were  great  ranges  of  moun- 
tains. 

Our  trail  led  over  the  mountains  to  the  north, 
and  we  were  presently  making  our  way  among 
groves  of  tall  pine-trees,  where  from  the 
branches  gigantic  festoons  of  gray  moss  hung 

lOT 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

drooping.  As  we  began  to  climb  the  moun- 
tains one  of  our  mules  commenced  a  series  of 
unreasonable  capers.  She  was  a  strong  young 
animal,  and  evidently  preferred  the  green  valley 
of  the  Lapaguera  to  the  lonely  mountainsides, 
and  she  now  apparently  proposed  to  rove  at  her 
fancy.  Sometimes  her  fancy  took  her  along 
the  high  places  above  the  road,  sometimes  she 
went  down  below  it,  then  she  seemed  to  have  lost 
something,  and  acted  as  though  she  expected  to 
find  it  in  the  woods,  but  she  had  decided  objec- 
tions to  walking  on  the  road,  and  so  gave  the 
peons  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Finally  there 
came  to  one  a  brilliant  thought.  I  had  a  steady 
old  horse,  and  they  caught  the  ambitious  mule 
and  tied  her  securely  to  my  horse's  tail;  it 
wasn't  considerate  to  the  horse,  but  it  did  fix 
the  mule.  She  couldn't  stop  conveniently,  and 
she  couldn't  get  past  the  horse,  neither  could 
she  wander  up  to  the  hilltops  or  climb  down 
among  the  guUeys  without  taking  the  horse 
along,  too,  but  that  was  inconvenient.  For  a 
time  all  went  well,  but  after  awhile  we  came  to 
a  place  where  the  road  went  down  between 
rather  steep  banks  till  it  reached  a  stream  of 
considerable  volume.     My  horse  went  down  the 

108 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

trail  in  a  resigned  sort  of  way,  but  the  mule 
started  along  the  bank  and  wouldn't  come  into 
the  trail;  the  result  was  that  presently  she 
could  go  no  further,  and  then  came  a  tug  of 
war,  to  see  whether  the  horse  in  the  gully  could 
pull  the  mule  down  from  the  high  bank  or 
whether  the  mule  could  pull  the  horse's  tail  out. 
I  scrambled  from  the  saddle  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  then  the  animals  seemed  to  come  to  an 
understanding;  the  horse  backed  up  as  far  as 
he  could,  and  the  mule  braced  her  fore  feet  and 
hung  her  head  over  the  bank  as  far  as  possible, 
and  so  they  stood.  Presently  the  peons  came 
and  untied  them,  and  I  declined  to  have  them 
done  up  again;  and  so  for  the  rest  of  the  way 
that  mule  followed  its  own  sweet  will,  "  and  a 
'  mule's '  will  is  the  wind's  will,"  and  the 
thoughts  of  a  mule  are  long,  long  thoughts, 
incomprehensibly  long. 

The  trail  led  on  over  green  rolling  moun- 
tain ridges  and  down  the  little  level  valleys, 
and  after  two  days'  riding  I  reached  a  village 
called  La  Union,  a  beautiful  place  at  the  head 
of  a  valley  of  low  hills  between  mountain  ranges. 

Next  morning  I  made  an  early  start  for  the 
mines.      I  had  made  a  boasting  agreement  in 

109 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

New  York  that  I  would  examine  every  portion 
of  the  property;  reports  stated  that  fabulous 
wealth  lay  exposed  along  a  precipice  where  a 
stream  had  cut  a  deep  gorge  through  the  moun- 
tains. I  found  the  place  just  as  described, 
except  that  there  was  very  little  mineral,  yet 
enough  to  make  me  anxious  to  see  all  the  preci- 
pice. 

I  went  to  the  upper  part  of  the  gorge,  where 
a  good  view  could  be  had  down  the  river,  but 
could  see  no  signs  of  any  mineral  deposits. 
Then  I  said  to  my  guide  that  we  would  go  on 
down  the  river,  but  he  told  me  it  was  impossible, 
that  no  person  had  ever  been  down  the  gorge, 
nor  could  they  possibly  go.  However,  we  went 
on  as  far  as  we  could,  and  presently  came  to  a 
place  where  the  river  cut  its  way  through  solid 
walls  of  rock.  I  then  proposed  to  go  around 
to  the  other  side  and  come  up  the  gorge,  but 
my  guide  said  that  was  equally  impossible,  and 
that  at  this  place  there  were  about  two  miles  of 
rock  which  no  man  or  animal  could  pass.  I 
quoted  the  description  of  the  mine,  at  which  the 
guide  laughed,  and  told  me  that  such  a  report 
was  the  exaggeration  of  an  impossibility.  I 
had  no  thought   of  giving  up,  however,   and 

110 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

asked  the  guide  if  I  could  not  swim  down  the 
river,  at  which  he  looked  at  me  in  astonishment. 
"  Impossible ;  the  place  is  full  of  snakes,  and 
there  must  be  a  big  waterfall  in  there,  because 
the  river  is  much  lower  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain." 

I  wasn't  going  home  without  seeing  every 
inch  of  that  gorge ;  the  precipice  had  been  noted 
in  a  former  report  and  I  proposed  to  examine  it. 
So  I  threw  off  my  clothes,  telling  my  guide  I 
intended  to  take  a  bath.  I  found  the  water  cool 
and  pleasant,  and  presently  let  the  current 
carry  me  slowly  down,  then  swam  to  one  side 
and  came  back  again,  as  if  I  meant  nothing, 
fearing  that  the  guide  might  restrain  me  by 
force,  for  by  this  time  he,  too,  had  entered  the 
water.  Then  I  let  the  current  take  me  down 
again.  This  time  I  went  a  little  further,  and 
when  well  beyond  his  reach,  while  he  shouted 
to  recall  me,  I  let  the  current  carry  me  into  the 
gorge,  then  around  a  bend,  and  I  was  alone, 
rocks  and  water  all  about  me,  and  a  line  of 
blue  sky  overhead.  I  was  frightened,  but  hav- 
ing started,  I  meant  to  keep  on. 

The  river  was  low,  and  for  a  time  I  floated 
lazily  along,  watching  out  for  signs  of  exposed 

111 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

mineral  deposits;  but  there  was  nothing,  only 
dark  rocks  of  even  texture.  Presently  I  no- 
ticed that  the  current  was  becoming  swifter,  and 
so  I  caught  hold  of  a  convenient  ledge,  and  held 
myself  back  to  see  what  was  ahead  of  me. 
There  were  some  rapids,  a  little  cascade,  and 
further  on  more  rapids^  and  I  floated  carefully 
down  to  them,  keeping  well  against  the  rocks. 
There  was  not  much  difficulty  about  getting 
over  the  cascade,  just  a  tumble  into  a  deep  basin 
of  water,  where  I  was  washed  up  to  one  side 
and  found  a  convenient  seat  on  a  gravel  bed 
under  a  rock,  where  I  stopped  to  rest  and  con- 
sider. The  rapids  were  a  little  threatening,  but 
I  decided  to  try  them,  and  soon  had  the  pleasure 
of  finding  that,  though  the  water  was  rough, 
it  was  deep  and  easy  to  swim  in,  with  plenty  of 
eddies  along  the  sides,  where  I  could  avoid  the 
heaviest  currents.  Going  on  down,  I  came  to 
a  place  where  the  rocks  of  the  precipice  sud- 
denly changed,  and  above  the  dark,  intrusive 
rocks  a  contact  with  sedimentary  types  could 
be  distinctly  seen;  but  there  were  no  signs  of 
mineral,  and  I  floated  on  down,  and  presently 
came  to  the  end  of  the  gorge,  about  a  mile  or 
more  from  the  place  where  I  had  left  my  clothes. 

112 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  rested  for  a  time,  and  then  started  to  swim 
back,  but  it  was  fatiguing  work,  and  presently 
the  current  became  too  strong  for  me.  Here 
was  a  predicament;  it  was  some  miles  around 
the  base  of  the  mountain  to  where  I  left  my 
clothes;  to  walk  that  distance  naked  in  all  the 
burning  sun  could  not  be  even  thought  of,  and 
to  clamber  along  the  rocks  where,  because  of  the 
dry  season,  hundreds  of  snakes  had  gathered, 
seemed  madness.  I  was  well  perplexed  as  to 
what  I  should  do,  and  not  a  little  frightened. 
After  considering,  I  determined  to  climb  along 
the  rocks,  and  started  out  on  a  really  perilous 
journey.  I  saw  snakes  from  time  to  time,  but 
these  were  accommodating,  and  got  out  of  the 
way,  though  I  was  constantly  in  dread  of  the 
next  step.  Scorpions  and  black  tarantulas  were 
numerous,  and  as  I  climbed  along  the  cliffs 
among  the  black  rocks  I  saw  poisonous  snakes 
and  dreaded  insects ;  with  deep  shadows  about  me 
and  here  and  there  a  radiant  beam  of  sunlight, 
I  was  constantly  reminded  of  Dore's  illustra- 
tions of  the  Inferno.  Weird  and  dangerous 
as  it  was,  I  soon  became  accustomed  to  it  all, 
and  then  deeply  interested  in  the  strange,  wild 
beauty  of  my  surroundings.     When  I  came  to 

113 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  place  where  I  had  noted  the  sedimentary 
rocks,  I  climbed  up  to  them,  selected  a  few  small 
specimens  to  take  back  with  me,  and  then  tying 
them  in  a  leaf,  with  a  bit  of  inner  bark  from 
a  convenient  trumpet-tree,  I  started  on  again, 
carrying  the  little  package  with  my  teeth.  So 
I  made  my  way  on,  swimming  at  times  and  at 
others  climbing  along  steep  rocks.  A  fall,  the 
sting  of  a  poisonous  insect  or  snake  bite  would 
probably  be  fatal,  and  I  was  thoroughly  tired 
out  with  excitement,  as  well  as  from  the  exertion, 
when  I  finally  got  over  the  little  cascade,  forced 
my  way  along  the  side  of  the  swift  water  above 
it,  and  came  to  the  open  river  with  an  easy  swim 
ahead  of  me  to  reach  my  clothes.  One  can  rest 
beautifuU}'  in  the  water,  and  by  the  time  I 
reached  my  guide  I  was  feeling  quite  rested 
again.  A  number  of  people  had  gathered  there, 
all  supposing  I  was  dead,  and  they  hardly  knew 
what  to  say  when  I  told  them  where  I  had  been, 
and  I  think  that  none  of  them  believed  me.  A 
searching  party  had  gone  around  the  mountain 
to  look  for  my  body,  and  at  the  little  town  of 
La  Union  work  had  been  commenced  on  my 
coffin,  —  a  matter  of  some  concern  to  me  because 


114 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  had  to  pay  for  it,  and  coffins  are  expensive 
in  that  country. 

After  this  I  set  out  on  my  way,  returning 
to  Jutigalpa,  and  on  the  road  had  an  experience 
with  eniguas,  a  species  of  small  flea.  Probably 
all  who  travel  in  Spanish  America  will  suffer 
to  some  extent  from  these  annoying  insects. 
The  female  fastens  herself  to  any  protected 
place  on  one's  skin,  particularly  under  the  toe 
nails;  and  then  working  her  way  through  the 
outer  skin,  forms  a  little  nest  and  lays  a  multi- 
tude of  eggs ;  these  increase  in  size,  and  grad- 
ually develop  till  numerous  little  grubs  are 
formed,  which  immediately  begin  to  feed  on  the 
living  flesh  of  the  person  who  is  so  unfortunate 
as  to  harbour  them.  Then  serious  results  may 
be  expected,  the  pain  is  most  severe,  and  not 
infrequently  the  loss  of  one's  feet  follows,  or, 
perhaps,  blood-poisoning  sets  in,  to  end  in  a 
most  miserable  death.  This,  however,  is  only 
among  those  who,  from  ignorance  or  other 
cause,  allow  the  eniguas's  eggs  to  remain  under 
the  skin  till  they  develop  the  living  grubs.  For- 
tunately, some  days  pass  before  the  grubs  de- 
velop, while  an  intense  itching  gives  early  warn- 
ing that  something  is  wrong,  and  to  remove 

115 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  eggs  is  a  very  simple  matter;  usually  after 
removing  them  an  unpleasant  sore  is  left,  re- 
quiring some  days  to  heal.  I  found  a  number 
of  sores  on  my  feet  looking  like  little  boils  with 
a  black  spot  in  the  centre  of  each.  I  thought 
they  were  nothing  but  boils,  and  was  surprised 
to  find  a  tough  skin  covering  them,  but  by  prick- 
ing this  open  I  cleaned  them  out  rather  indiffer- 
ently, and,  finding  the  pain  relieved,  thought  no 
more  about  it.  Later  my  feet  began  to  pain 
again,  presently  swelling  set  in,  till  one  morning 
I  could  not  put  on  my  shoes,  and  then  I  became 
rather  alarmed. 

I  called  one  of  the  natives  and  learned  that 
eniguas  had  attacked  my  feet,  that  I  had  al- 
lowed some  of  the  eggs  to  hatch,  and  that  now 
the  grubs  were  eating  into  the  living  flesh,  which 
might  cause  the  loss  of  both  my  feet.  This  was 
serious,  and  the  remedy  they  proposed  was  a 
thing  that  the  bravest  might  shrink  from.  I 
was  told  that  the  only  way  to  save  my  feet  was 
to  let  the  natives  strap  me  down  on  a  table  so  that 
I  could  not  move,  while  they  scraped  the  sores 
with  bits  of  glass  till  they  had  taken  out  all 
the  grubs,  and  they  might  be  obliged  to  even 
scrape  the  bones. 

116 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  consented,  of  course,  but  the  preparations 
sent  cold  perspiration  trickling  down  my  back. 
Fortunately,  I  was  spared  the  suffering;  an  old 
medicine-woman  happened  to  be  in  camp,  who 
said  that  if  I  would  give  her  a  dollar  she  would 
cure  my  feet  in  a  day  without  cutting  them. 
A  dollar  was  no  consideration,  and  she  had  it 
at  once,  though  I  must  confess  I  doubted  her. 
She  seemed  to  know  just  what  she  was  about, 
and  went  at  once  to  the  woods  to  get  some  herbs. 
Within  an  hour  she  was  back  again,  carrying  a 
lot  of  bruised  leaves  crushed  together  in  one 
hand.  These  she  roasted  over  the  fire  and 
squeezed  a  black  liquor  out  of  them,  which  she 
dropped  into  the  sores  on  my  feet.  It  seemed 
as  though  she  was  using  liquid  fire,  but  the 
sting  was  only  for  an  instant;  then  as  soon  as 
the  smarting  had  passed,  the  pain  in  my  feet 
became  easier.  I  had  a  number  of  other  sores 
on  my  feet  and  legs  which  she  treated,  and  then 
told  me  that  all  would  be  well  in  the  morning. 
They  certainly  were  feeling  much  better,  and 
I  was  decidedly  relieved.  She  would  not  take 
any  more  money,  but  ordered  me  to  keep  quiet 
and  she  would  come  back  to  see  me  next  day. 

When  morning  came,  I  was  surpised  to  find 

in 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

that  my  feet  were  perfectly  cool  and  natural, 
that  all  the  swelling  had  gone  down,  and  that 
the  sores  were  beginning  to  heal. 

They  never  gave  me  any  more  trouble,  and 
when  the  medicine-woman  came  back  I  deter- 
mined to  learn  her  secret.  It  was  hard  work, 
and  money  would  not  buy  it;  but  finally  she 
consented  to  tell  me  because  I  assured  her  it 
would  be  useful  to  a  great  many  people. 

I  found  that  what  she  had  used  was  a  common 
weed,  called  locally  Soto  Caballo,  which  grows 
all  over  Olancho  in  Honduras ;  yet  I  have  never 
met  with  it  in  any  other  country. 

I  took  samples,  but,  when  later  I  showed  them 
to  doctors  and  manufacturing  chemists,  I  was 
met  with  a  smile  of  incredulity  for  my  story, 
and  informed  that  the  profession  was  abun- 
dantly supplied  with  antiseptics. 

After  my  feet  were  better,  I  went  on  again, 
and,  reaching  Jutigalpa,  found  that  my  late 
companions  were  determined  to  continue  in  their 
chase  after  delusive  hopes,  and  believing  that  I 
had  seen  enough  of  their  affairs  and  aspirations, 
separated  myself  from  them,  and  turned  my 
attention  to  other  affairs.  I  had  about  deter- 
mined to  leave  Honduras  when  I  received  an 

118 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

offer  from  a  party  of  "  capitalists,"  who  had 
come  to  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  develop- 
ing mining  interests,  and  now  wanted  me  to  or- 
ganize part  of  their  working  force.  I  was 
reluctant  to  leave  Honduras  so  soon,  and  con- 
sidering their  offer  advantageous  both  for  my- 
self and  my  principals,  I  accepted  and  went  dili- 
gently to  work  on  their  affairs. 


119 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    Xni. 

OVEE  THE  MOUNTAINS  ON  A  RACE  AGAINST   TIME 

I  SOON  found  that  for  reckless  extravagance 
and  almost  idiotic  proceedings  this  outfit  was 
beyond  anything  I  had  ever  known.  One  morn- 
ing responsibility  for  transactions  of  which  I 
knew  nothing,  and  for  money  which  I  had  never 
seen,  were  charged  up  against  my  department, 
and  I  promptly  offered  my  resignation,  feeling 
well  assured  that  I  had  seen  quite  enough  of  those 
people.  Then  there  was  a  row,  and  finally  they 
complained  that  my  course  was  dishonourable; 
that  they  had  spent  money  to  bring  me  to  their 
camp,  and  that  they  h^d  thought  I  was  to  be 
depended  on.  This  touched  me  in  a  tender  spot, 
and  I  agreed  to  be  at  their  service  until  they 
were  sufficiently  compensated  for  expenses  in- 
curred in  my  behalf,  but  I  refused  absolutely 
to  handle  any  money  for  them. 

120 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

One  Sunday  morning,  shortly  after  our  dis- 
agreement, the  manager  and  the  capitalists  who 
had  come  out  with  him  were  in  a  state  of  excite- 
ment; perhaps  they  were  tired  of  telling  each 
other  how  great  they  were,  or  perhaps  they  had 
become  angry  as  to  their  respective  greatness; 
from  where  I  was  I  could  not  tell.  Presently 
one  of  the  servants  came  hurrying  over  to  me, 
and  asked  that  I  should  go  immediately  to  the 
manager.  I  went,  and  was  told  that  he  might 
be  able  to  use  me  in  a  little  matter  that  had 
come  up.  I  made  no  answer,  and  presently 
learned  that  some  important  papers  had  been 
entirely  neglected,  and  that  unless  by  some 
means  or  other  these  papers  could  be  deposited 
in  the  bank  at  Tagucigalpa,  the  capital,  before 
sunrise  Tuesday  morning,  serious  loss  would  re- 
sult, and  the  proposition  was  that  I  should  go 
and  deposit  the  papers  on  time,  a  difficult  under- 
taking. I  would  have  to  reach  Tagucigalpa 
from  the  lower  Olancho  valley  before  Tuesday 
morning,  over  a  rough  trail  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  across  two  mountain  ranges  —  a 
trip  that  usually  took  from  five  to  seven  days. 
After  considering  a  moment,  I  said :  "  If  you 
give  me  a  mule  that  can  do  the  work,  I  can  sit 

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AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

on  its  back  till  we  arrive;  it  is  only  a  question 
of  long  hours  in  the  saddle,  and  the  endurance 
of  the  mule." 

I  was  assured  of  a  good  mule,  and  knowing 
that  there  were  several  high-priced  animals  at 
camp  well  able  to  do  the  work,  I  made  hurried 
preparations,  anticipating  a  novel  and  perhaps 
pleasant  experience.  My  preparations  were 
soon  made;  a  pair  of  saddle-bags,  a  change  of 
underclothing,  an  ounce  of  quinine,  a  two-ounce 
package  of  condensed  soup  —  that  was  all. 

I  hurried  over  to  the  offices,  where  we  all 
waited  anxiously  for  the  mule.  While  waiting 
I  was  told  that  if  I  succeeded  in  depositing  the 
papers  on  time  my  associates  would  be  amply 
compensated  for  having  brought  me  to  their 
camp.  About  nine  o'clock  the  manager's  serv- 
ant came,  bringing  a  mule  —  a  little  animal 
not  half  grown,  and  which  had  never  been  ridden 
before.  The  men  employed  about  the  mines  had 
come  to  see  me  start,  and  when  the  manager  said, 
proudly :  "  Now,  there  is  as  fine  an  animal 
as  you  could  want;  it  will  take  you  easily  in 
two  days,"  the  whole  crowd  began  to  laugh 
derisively,   which   made   him   furious. 

I  said  to  the  capitalist :    "  Mr.  Blank,  that 

122 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

mule  can  never  take  me  in  two  days ;  you  must 
give  me  one  of  the  better  animals." 

The  manager  protested  angrily,  and  the  cap- 
italist, now  thoroughly  anxious,  said :  "  Oh,  go, 
go  on.  The  manager  is  an  expert  and  knows  his 
business;  he  says  the  animal  can  take  you; 
don't  object  so  much,  but  do  something  for  us." 

I  said :  "  Mr.  Blank,  that  mule  can  never 
cross  the  first  range  of  mountains,  but  I  will  get 
your  papers  in  the  bank  on  time." 

Then  I  mounted  the  little  animal,  and  had 
considerable  difficulty  in  getting  it  to  start,  but 
finally  it  did  go,  and  I  was  soon  out  of  sight 
over  the  hills. 

It  was  a  gallant  little  mule,  and  took  me 
fifteen  miles  in  three  hours,  and  then  it  broke 
down,  and  not  another  step  could  I  get  out  of 
it.  I  had  expected  one  day's  work  from  it,  and 
the  situation  was  serious. 

It  looked  as  though  I  was  stuck,  but  fortu- 
nately some  soldiers  came  along  just  then,  and 
I  made  a  bargain  with  them  to  have  my  saddle 
carried  on  to  the  next  place  where  I  hoped  to 
secure  an  animal.  I  left  the  little  mule  at  a 
house  near  by,  and  then  we  started.     It  was 


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AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

an  eighteen-mile  tramp,  but  we  got  in  safely 
about  four  o'clock. 

I  went  at  once  to  the  Alcalde,  and  applied 
for  an  animal,  but  here  I  was  in  worse  luck: 
the  city  was  in  "  fiesta,"  and  all  the  men  who 
were  not  drunk  were  trying  to  become  so  as  fast 
as  possible.  Animals?  Was  that  all  I  wanted? 
I  could  have  all  Honduras,  but  to-morrow. 
This  would  have  been  too  late.  Fortunately,  I 
found  two  men  who  were  not  quite  so  drunk  as 
the  others,  and  I  offered  to  pay  them  five  dollars 
each  if  they  would  walk  with  me  all  night  and 
carry  my  saddle  and  other  things  till  I  could 
find  an  animal.  They  readily  agreed,  and  we 
started  on  our  hard  tramp.  Rough  work,  in- 
deed, but  I  determined  to  keep  on.  About  mid- 
night we  came  to  a  little  tavern,  and  my  men 
were  so  tired  that  they  begged  me  to  let  them 
find  substitutes,  and  they  would  not  take  any 
of  the  money.  I  told  them  I  had  no  objections 
to  new  men,  and  said  that  they  might  make  the 
best  bargain  they  could  and  save  the  difference. 
They  tried  from  house  to  house,  but  it  was  of  no 
use;   none  would  undertake  the  journey. 

Then  I  said :  "  I  am  sorry,  but  my  necessities 
require  that  you  carry  out  your  agreement ;   we 

124 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

must  go  on."  They  went  obediently,  the  law 
and  custom  of  that  country  compelling  them. 

At  intervals  I  let  them  sleep  for  twenty  min- 
utes, mounting  guard  myself,  then  we  would 
push  on.  I  was  excited,  and  made  the  most 
fearful  exertions.  Once  we  lost  the  trail,  and 
went  some  miles  out  of  our  way,  but  by  sunrise 
we  had  crossed  the  largest  range  of  mountains. 
We  pushed  on,  and  about  11  a.  m.  Monday 
morning  I  reached  Talanga,  hardly  able  to 
stand.  I  felt  sure  of  success  now.  I  had  made 
seventy-five  miles  on  foot  in  nineteen  hours,  and 
I  was  within  twelve  leagues  of  my  journey's 
end,  requiring  only  an  animal  that  could  do  an 
ordinary  day's  work.  But  misfortunes  were 
everywhere;  not  an  animal  could  be  had,  and  I 
was  too  exhausted  to  think  of  walking  further. 
However,  I  felt  compelled  to  do  the  best  I  could ; 
so  I  telegraphed  to  Major  Burke,  of  New  Or- 
leans, to  whom  I  was  consigned,  telling  him  the 
condition  I  was  in,  and  stating  that  I  would 
come  on  as  far  as  I  could,  and  when  I  gave 
out  I  would  lie  down  across  the  road,  and  if  I 
was  not  in  by  midnight  to  send  a  courier  out 
to  get  the  papers,  as  they  must  be  deposited 
before  sunrise  Tuesday  morning. 

125 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

Then  I  prepared  to  push  on.  As  I  was  about 
to  start,  a  man  came  and  said  he  owned  a  horse 
which  had  never  been  ridden  yet,  but  if  I 
thought  I  could  ride  him  I  could  try. 

It  was  a  chance,  but  I  determined  to  risk  it, 
and  with  a  good  peon  at  my  side  started  on 
again.  The  horse  was  a  little  troublesome  at 
first,  but  he  took  to  work  naturally,  and  I  made 
good  progress. 

About  four  o'clock  we  came  to  a  group  of 
great  orange-trees,  loaded  down  with  fruit,  and 
because  of  my  exhaustion  I  never  had  an3rthing 
that  tasted  so  good  in  my  life;  the  fruit  was 
perfect,  and  for  ten  cents  I  bought  more  than  I 
could  possibly  carry. 

Everything  went  well  till  I  came  to  a  little 
place  called  Cofradia,  four  leagues  from  the 
capital.  I  felt  that  I  had  almost  succeeded  when 
sudden  pains  shot  through  my  body,  followed 
by  a  violent  chill,  and  then  my  legs  became  par- 
alyzed. I  lost  all  control  over  myself,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  my  teeth  would  rattle  out 
of  my  head.  I  managed  to  get  my  feet  out  of 
the  stirrups,  and  half  fell  to  the  ground,  then 
I  staggered  to  a  house  and  sank  down  by  the 
door. 

126 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

As  soon  as  I  found  my  voice,  I  asked  for 
some  hot  water,  but  was  informed  that  the 
women  had  all  gone  to  a  dance,  and  the  men 
did  not  consider  it  their  business  to  boil  water, 
I  might  have  died  —  that  was  nothing;  they 
would  not  touch  a  woman's  work. 

Then  I  asked  for  rum,  which  fortunately 
they  had,  and  more  fortunate  still  was  the  tin 
of  quinine  powder  in  my  saddle-bags.  I  drank 
some  rum  and  then  tried  to  take  some  quinine, 
but  my  hands  were  shaking  so  much  that  I  could 
not  measure  it,  and  I  shook  out  a  quantity, 
almost  as  much  as  my  hand  could  hold.  I  looked 
at  it,  and  then  I  thought,  well,  I  am  dying 
anyway,  and  it  may  as  well  be  from  the  quinine 
as  anything;  so,  without  considering,  I  took 
it  all.  It  must  have  been  nearly  a  quarter  of 
an  ounce ;  after  that  I  drank  a  little  more  rum, 
then  I  waited  for  a  moment,  and  my  strength 
came  back.  It  seemed  to  be  exactly  what  I 
wanted. 

It  was  then  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  I  started  on  at  once,  but  it  was  cruel  work, 
and  I  fell  asleep  continually  on  the  saddle;  and 
presently  the  peon  began  to  walk  by  my  side  to 
prevent  my  falling.    This  continued  for  a  time, 

127 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  finally,  about  11  o'clock,  I  reached  the  cap- 
ital. 

I  had  succeeded;  this  kept  me  awake  till  I 
arrived  at  the  hotel  and  delivered  the  papers  to 
Major  Burke,  who  was  sitting  up,  waiting  anx- 
iously for  them. 

He  opened  the  package,  looked  at  the  letters 
and  papers,  and  then  said :  "  Can  you  tell  me 
what  they  mean  by  this  absurdity?  I  have 
attended  to  all  these  matters."  I  tried  to 
answer,  but  could  not  speak,  and  the  major 
got  me  into  bed  as  soon  as  possible,  two  men 
helping  me  undress.  I  was  asleep  long  before 
they  put  me  in  bed,  and  I  am  told  that  the 
best  doctor  in  the  capital  was  called  to  see  me 
two  or  three  times,  and  that  he  said  the  only 
thing  was  to  let  me  sleep,  though  my  condi- 
tion was  very  serious.  He  didn't  know  about 
the  quantity  of  quinine  I  had  taken,  and  while 
I  slept  this  certainly  did  me  good  service,  and 
when  I  awoke,  after  sleeping  all  the  next  day 
and  the  night  following,  I  was  as  fresh  and 
felt  as  well  as  when  I  started. 

I  said  I  was  ready  to  go  back  to  camp  at 
once,  but  Major  Burke  told  me  he  proposed 
that  I  should  rest  for  a  week  at  least,  and  said 

128 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  must  amuse  myself  as  I  pleased ;  or,  if  I  liked, 
I  could  do  some  light  work  for  him. 

I  chose  to  do  the  work,  of  course,  and  saw  a 
great  deal  of  the  major.  He  was  full  of  enthu- 
siasm over  the  development  of  his  different  min- 
ing interests,  and  spoke  eagerly  of  the  day  when 
he  would  walk  in  to  New  Orleans  and  pay  back 
certain  money  which  the  city  officials  claimed 
from  him,  though  they  had  no  right  to  it;  and 
from  day  to  day  he  worked  enthusiastically  on, 
and  I  have  never  known  a  more  considerate  em- 
ployer or  a  more  thorough  business  man. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  I  started  on  my  way 
back  to  camp,  taking  five  days  where  I  had 
come  in  less  than  two.  I  expected  that  now  I 
would  find  my  associates  more  reasonable;  but 
in  this  I  was  mistaken;  folly  and  extravagance 
were  unrestrained,  and  after  a  few  weeks  I  went 
away,  very  glad  that  my  connection  with  such 
an  enterprise  could  be  terminated. 


129 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

A    ROUGH    JOURNEY    TO    THE    COAST 

After  this  experience,  I  prepared  to  leave 
Honduras.  It  was  time  now  to  investigate  the 
rubber  forests  of  Southern  Costa  Rica  and 
Northern  Panama.  At  Jutigalpa  I  tarried  a 
few  days,  exchanging  visits  of  farewell  with 
numerous  friends,  and  then  set  out  for  the 
coast,  hoping  to  find  some  means  of  transporta- 
tion to  Costa  Rica. 

On  the  way  to  the  coast,  I  came  to  a  place 
where  all  the  road  had  been  washed  out  by 
unusual  rains,  and  my  only  way  to  go  on  was 
over  a  little  used  trail,  well  known  to  be  rough 
and  dangerous.  I  preferred  this,  however,  to 
turning  back,  and  gave  little  heed  to  tales  of 
accidents  and  death  told  by  my  guides. 

At  first  the  trail  was  only  rough,  not  danger- 
ous, but  presently  we  came  to  a  steep  mountain- 

130 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

side,  where  a  fall  would  mean  destruction.  A 
little  further  on,  the  trail  became  so  steep  that 
I  determined  to  walk  down  and  drive  the  mule 
ahead  of  me;  but  she  would  not  go,  and  I  had 
to  mount  and  ride  before  she  would  undertake 
it.  This  was  rather  a  novel  ride;  the  mule 
could  not  take  a  step,  it  was  so  slippery;  she 
simply  set  her  feet  and  slid  from  one  bend  in 
the  trail  to  the  next,  and  then  turned  carefully, 
and  slid  on  down ;  it  was  coasting  on  mule-back, 
interesting,  but  rather  hard  on  the  mule,  and 
when  we  reached  better  ground  she  was  so 
frightened  that  to  manage  her  was  difficult. 
Further  on,  the  trail  became  soft,  a  sticky  red 
clay,  in  which  the  mules  sank  almost  to  their 
knees,  as  they  struggled  on  down  the  mountain. 
The  trail  was  very  imperfect,  only  a  narrow 
strip  trodden  out  by  passing  animals,  and  the 
first  thing  I  knew  my  mule  was  standing  on  a 
small  log  that  had  been  placed  to  mend  about 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  of  the  track  where  it  had 
broken  away.  Here  two  or  three  animals  had 
been  killed,  and  the  mule  was  hesitating,  while 
the  log  moved  uncertainly.  To  turn  back  or 
dismount  was  impossible;  there  was  nothing  to 
do  but  force  the  animal  on  over  and  take  the 
131 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

chances,  so  drawing  the  reins  tight  and  throw- 
ing my  feet  out  of  the  stirrups,  that  I  might 
have  a  better  chance  if  we  fell,  I  forced  the 
mule  across,  though  it  was  a  good  deal  like 
riding  on  a  tight  rope. 

By  good  fortune  I  got  over  safely,  and  when 
the  frightened  peon  —  my  guide  —  found  his 
voice,  he  said,  "  I  should  have  told  you  to  dis- 
mount before  you  reached  it,  but  if  you  can 
ride  like  that  you  had  better  keep  your  saddle, 
it  will  be  safer  for  you  and  for  the  mule,  too." 
So  we  struggled  on  down,  but  the  dangers  were 
not  over.  At  a  turn  where  the  trail  was  very 
steep,  I  could  see  the  track  made  in  the  tall 
grass  where  two  mules  had  gone  rolling  down  to 
destruction.  Just  at  this  point  my  mule  seemed 
to  lose  control  of  herself  and  began  to  slip 
toward  this  fatal  spot,  and  there  seemed  no  way 
to  check  her;  she  tried  to  pull  back,  but  the 
soft  mud  afforded  no  foothold,  and  we  were  just 
slipping  over  when  she  braced  her  forefeet,  and 
then  managed  to  turn  herself,  hesitated  between 
falling  and  going  on  for  an  instant,  and  then 
we  headed  on  down  for  the  next  turn. 

So  it  went,  and  all  the  while  there  was  a  heavy 
strain  on  the  crupper   of  my   saddle;    finally, 

132 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

at  a  critical  moment,  it  broke,  the  saddle  slipped 
forward,  and  I  found  myself  hanging  over 
space  with  nothing  but  a  mule's  neck  between 
me  and  destruction.  My  first  feeling  was  to 
jump  and  try  to  catch  the  tall  grass  as  I  fell; 
then  I  shouted  to  my  peon,  who,  just  a  few 
feet  from  me,  was  frightened  into  uselessness, 
and  he  simply  stood  and  looked.  I  kept  haul- 
ing on  the  reins  to  make  the  mule  keep  her  head 
up ;  she  was  slipping,  and  I  could  feel  the  bank 
giving  way,  as  she  trampled  on  it  to  get  a  foot- 
hold. Far  below  me  I  could  see  a  river  rushing 
along,  and  it  seemed  only  a  matter  of  an  instant, 
but  here  the  path  was  very  narrow,  and  I  found 
that  by  reaching  back  over  my  head  with  one 
hand  I  could  grasp  the  roots  of  the  grass  above 
me,  and  so  soon  as  the  mule  was  relieved  of 
my  weight  she  regained  the  path,  and  we  were 
both  safe. 

The  peon  repaired  the  crupper  and  I  rode  on 
down,  but  when  I  got  to  the  bottom  of  that 
mountain  the  strain  and  fright  had  been  so 
great  I  was  absolutely  played  out,  and  had  to 
rest  for  an  hour  before  I  could  sit  on  my  saddle. 

I  had  now  reached  the  low  lands  again,  and 
stopped  for  the  night  at  a  group  of  rude  huts. 

133 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

I  was  making  a  small  collection  of  orchids,  and 
saw  what  I  thought  a  desirable  specimen  near 
the  top  of  a  tall  tree.  I  bargained  with  a  bright 
little  Spanish  boy,  who  agreed  to  climb  after 
the  orchid  and  bring  it  to  me  for  ten  cents. 
He  went  up  lightly  enough,  then  as  he  cut  the 
plant  from  the  tree,  it  suddenly  swarmed  with 
black  insects.  The  people  who  were  looking  on 
shouted,  "  Golgas !  golgas !  "  and  called  to  the 
boy  to  come  down.  He  knocked  the  plant  off 
first,  and  then  slid  rapidly  down  the  slender 
tree  to  the  ground,  blood  dripping  from  one 
hand.  As  he  reached  the  ground,  he  said, 
proudly,  "  I  got  it,  and  only  one  bit  me."  He 
had  a  deep  cut  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his  hand 
below  the  thumb,  which  we  bound  up  carefully, 
the  men  explaining  to  me  that  the  golga  is  a 
big  ant  capable  of  inflicting  such  a  deep  wound 
that  a  person  could  be  killed  by  them  in  a  short 
time  if  a  number  should  get  under  the  clothes. 
Later,  when  I  began  to  look  over  the  plants, 
one  of  these  fellows  ran  up  my  sleeve  and  started 
vigorous  work  at  once.  I  caught  him  on  the 
third  bite,  and  I  think  his  jaws  must  have  been 
red-hot,  and  were  developing  rapidly  to  a  white 
heat  by  the  time  I  killed  him.     From  my  own 

134 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

experience  I  shall  always  feel  pretty  well  sat- 
isfied that  a  number  of  these  ants  could  do  seri- 
ous damage  if  they  all  got  at  it  at  once. 

On  the  following  day  the  trail  took  us 
through  a  jungle  of  giant  palms,  and,  to  enjoy 
the  novel  scene  undisturbed,  I  left  my  pack- 
animals  and  servants,  rode  on  alone  for  some 
distance,  and  then,  letting  my  mule  take  her 
course,  gave  myself  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
scene.  The  giant  palms  of  Central  America 
grow  from  near  the  ground  like  great  ferns,  and 
rise  in  graceful  curves  twenty-five  to  forty  feet. 
All  other  vegetation  is  shut  out,  and  as  one 
passes  on  great  archways  of  green  open  in  all 
directions,  like  the  aisles  of  an  enormous  cathe- 
dral, only  these  have  no  end,  and  blend  into  one 
another  till  they  form,  in  the  distance,  one  solid 
wall  of  green,  with  the  long  archways  leading 
out  to  it.  In  the  deep  shade  of  such  forests 
many  varieties  of  ferns  and  wood  flowers  grow 
in  profusion.  I  rode  on,  lost  in  wonder,  till, 
suddenly,  there  came  a  rustling  among  the  ferns, 
a  moment  of  silence,  a  rustling  a  little  before 
me;  and  then  a  large  animal  stepped  cautiously 
out  on  the  road  perhaps  one  hundred  yards  or 
more  ahead  of  me. 

135 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

I  could  see  that  it  was  what  the  Indians  call  a 
black  tiger.  It  looked  at  me  over  its  shoulders, 
hesitated  for  a  moment,  then  faced  about  sud- 
denly, took  a  few  steps  forward,  and  squatted 
down  in  the  road,  its  eyes  glowing,  and  its  great 
tail  beating  vigorously  from  side  to  side.  The 
Indians  say  if  one  meets  a  black  tiger,  it  is  kill 
or  be  killed,  and  it  is  said  that  if  one  of  these 
animals  appears  near  an  Indian  village  the  peo- 
ple will  desert  their  houses,  and  that  the  Indians 
will  never  camp  for  the  night  where  it  is  sup- 
posed the  animals  are  about. 

On  the  other  hand,  professors  of  zoology  in- 
sist that  there  is  no  such  animal,  but  as  far  as 
I  am  concerned  I  think  I  saw  one.  It  was  squat- 
ting in  the  road  just  in  front  of  me,  had  a  coal- 
black  skin,  a  thin,  loose-jointed  body,  a  rather 
heavy  tail  with  a  tendency  to  bush  toward  the 
end,  a  square  head,  small  ears,  and  large,  clear, 
yellow  eyes.  It  looked  to  me  more  like  a  pan- 
ther than  a  jaguar,  and  yet  it  was  too  heavy 
about  the  shoulders,  neck,  and  head  for  a  pan- 
ther. 

Naturally,  I  wanted  that  animal,  and  there 
it  was,  all  ready  for  fight.  I  drew  my  pistol, 
the  only  firearm  I  had  with  me,  and  tried  to 

136 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

drive  the  mule  nearer,  but  she  didn't  appear  to 
like  it,  and  began  to  act  silly.  I  kept  her  head 
on  the  animal,  which  was  crouching  there  jerk- 
ing its  tail  from  side  to  side  with  savage  vehe- 
mence ;  and  from  time  to  time  seemed  to  gather 
itself  as  if  for  a  spring,  and  then  settled  back 
again.  I  was  just  getting  near  enough  to  con- 
sider risking  a  shot,  and  was  trying  to  quiet  the 
mule,  when,  suddenly,  around  the  corner  my 
pack-train  appeared  on  a  full  run,  the  gold  pans 
clattering,  the  peons  swearing,  a  tumult  gen- 
erally. 

The  animal  raised  its  head,  looked  for  an  in- 
stant, and  then  with  a  graceful  bound  disap- 
peared among  the  ferns  and  palm-trees.  I  was 
disappointed,  but  I  never  did  have  particular 
luck  in  shooting. 

A  day  or  two  more  and  I  reached  the  little 
city  of  Truxillo  again,  having  travelled  over 
the  greater  part  of  Spanish  Honduras. 


137 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XV. 

HONDURAS     TO     COSTA     RICA     VIA     NEW     ORLEANS 

I  AT  once  began  inquiring  for  a  means  of 
transportation  to  Costa  Rica,  but,  alas,  there 
was  none!  The  Spanish- American  repubHcs, 
though  neighbours,  are  isolated  from  each  other 
for  want  of  steamships,  and  in  many  places 
the  only  route  of  communication  is  via  the 
United  States;  and  there  was  now  nothing  for 
me  to  do  except  take  a  steamer  for  New  Orleans, 
and  from  there  return  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

In  this  trip  there  was  little  worth  recording. 
On  the  way  to  New  Orleans  the  gulf  was  so 
calm  that  numerous  varieties  of  marine  life 
could  be  seen  darting  about,  or  floating  idly 
as  the  steamer  made  its  way  among  them ;  but 
going  south  again  it  was  rough,  and  I  made 
a   bitter   enemy    of   the   steward    on    the    little 

138 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

steamer  by  becoming  uproariously  seasick,  and 
spoiling  four  breakfasts  one  morning  before  I 
could  retain  food  comfortably.  I  have  always 
contended  that  the  best  remedy  for  seasickness 
is  to  eat,  and  keep  on  eating  until  one  gets  the 
better  of  it,  but  it  is  rough  on  the  steward. 

There  were  no  incidents  on  this  voyage,  and 
after  four  days  we  were  landed  at  a  well-con- 
structed pier  at  Port  Lemon,  and  I  found  my- 
self surrounded  by  civilization  and  progress 
worthy  of  any  country. 

Costa  Rica  is  so  well  governed  that  I  found 
scarcely  an  adventure  worth  recording.  It  is 
more  an  agricultural  than  a  mining  country. 
The  lands  are  fertile  and  well  cultivated;  there 
are  numerous  mountains,  among  them  several 
extinct  volcanoes,  which  add  to  their  interest, 
and  in  the  interior  there  are  a  number  of  charm- 
ing cities.  San  Jose,  the  capital,  is  a  little 
metropolis,  situated  in  a  beautiful  upland  val- 
ley surrounded  by  rich  coffee  estates,  and 
flanked  by  high  mountains.  The  air  of  the 
uplands  is  cool  and  bracing,  and  the  climate 
of  San  Jose  is  delightful.  The  city  is  scrupu- 
lously clean,  and,  though  there  are  only  about 
twenty -five  thousand  inhabitants,  it  is  equal  to 

139 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

any  American  city  of  its  size,  and  superior  to 
most  of  them.  The  people  of  Costa  Rica  are 
perhaps  not  as  hospitable  as  in  other  Spanish- 
American  countries,  but  their  republic  is  well 
governed,  and  its  resources  are  under  careful 
development;  the  people  know  they  have  done 
well,  and,  indeed,  are  rather  proud  of  themselves 
and  their  country.  As  in  all  well-developed 
countries,  the  opportunities  for  business  enter- 
prises are  not  so  good  as  in  the  rougher  por- 
tions of  Spanish  America,  but  there  is  stability 
and  security,  items  of  considerable  importance 
when  figuring  up  the  advantages  of  a  locality. 
Portions  of  Costa  Rica  are  still  inhabited  by 
Indian  tribes,  and  I  was  anxious  to  visit  them; 
particularly  so  at  this  time  because  the  mails 
had  brought  me  a  commission  from  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  I  was 
anxious  to  secure  a  series  of  specimens;  so  it 
was  with  keen  interest  that  I  prepared  for  an 
excursion  to  the  southern  jungles  of  Costa 
Rica,  where  I  hoped  to  explore  the  territory 
of  the  Talamanca  Indians.  From  Port  Lemon 
I  put  out  to  sea  in  a  little  sloop  crowded  most 
uncomfortably  with  negro  passengers.  There 
was    scarcely    standing-room,    but    the    voyage 

140 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

would  not  be  long,  so  I  forced  myself  to  be 
patient.  Unfortunately  the  wind  went  down, 
and  we  were  a  day  and  a  night  on  that  mis- 
erable little  boat,  at  one  time  tormented  by  the 
hot  sun,  at  another  cowering  under  a  beating 
tropical  rain;  yet  the  negroes  were  always 
cheerful.  A  negro  can  adapt  himself  to  any 
surroundings,  and  be  happy,  provided  he  does 
not  have  to  work.  For  me  the  voyage  was  a 
time  of  sorrows,  and  I  was  heartily  thankful 
when  we  at  last  reached  a  place  called  Old  Har- 
bour, and  I  could  place  my  feet  on  terra  firma 
once  again.  From  here  I  tramped  oVerland  a 
few  miles  to  the  Silsola  River,  the  boundary 
between  Costa  Rica  and  Panama,  and  from 
there  took  a  canoe,  travelling  up  the  river  for 
two  days  to  a  place  called  Sipurio,  where,  tired, 
dirty,  and  rather  forlorn-looking,  I  knocked  at 
the  gate  of  a  mission  station  maintained  by  a 
company  of  German  Paulist  Fathers.  For- 
tunately one  of  the  fathers  was  at  home,  and 
I  was  immediately  made  welcome,  and  for  the 
next  few  days  was  one  of  their  household;  and 
I  learned  to  thoroughly  respect  the  missioners 
who  were  giving  up  their  lives  to  serve  the  In- 


141 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

dians,  doing  their  own  housework,  and  main- 
taining themselves  as  best  they  could. 

At  Sipurio  there  were  two  or  three  rough 
houses  besides  the  mission,  all  built  on  a  small, 
open  savannah  surrounded  by  dense  jungles, 
through  which  a  network  of  streams  made  their 
way  to  unite  and  form  the  Silsola.  Not  far 
away  were  the  mountains  where  many  of  the 
Indians  were  living.  Their  king,  I  was  told, 
lived  in  the  low  lands,  not  far  from  the  mis- 
sion, and  I  was  most  anxious  to  see  him.  From 
time  to  time  companies  of  Indians  came  to  see 
me,  and  then  went  away  again,  but  the  king 
did  not  come.  After  I  had  made  the  acquaint- 
ance and  questionable  friendship  of  a  number, 
I  told  them  I  wanted  to  see  their  king  and  hold 
conversation  with  him,  and  a  day  or  two  later 
a  tall,  fine-looking  Indian  visited  the  mission; 
this  was  Antonio,  King  of  the  Talamancas, 
come  himself  to  bid  me  welcome  to  his  country. 

That  he  was  more  than  an  average  man,  I 
saw  at  once.  His  dress  was  conventional:  a 
suit  of  blue  serge,  stout  boots,  a  clean  white 
shirt,  and  a  gray  felt  hat,  which  he  held  in 
his  hand  as  he  stood  there  gravely.  A  man 
who  was  born  to  rule,  to  his  people  a  law,  and 

142 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

yet  on  his  face  an  expression  of  sadness  but  not 
of  dejection;  his  bearing  was  that  of  command. 

We  were  friends  at  once.  All  have  met  with 
some  whom  they  understood  at  a  glance,  and 
whom  it  would  seem  had  so  understood  them, 
and  so  it  was  between  myself  and  the  Indian. 
Gravely  Antonio  gave  me  his  hand,  and  said 
he  had  come  to  invite  me  to  visit  his  houses, 
and  next  day  would  send  men  and  horses. 
"  But,"  he  said,  "  ours  are  not  like  your  houses. 
I  have  been  in  the  cities;  it  is  better  there  for 
those  who  are  white  men,  and  here  in  the  woods 
it  is  better  for  us  who  are  Indians."  I  had 
learned  not  to  be  eager  with  the  Indians,  and 
when  I  had  told  him  about  myself  and  my  coun- 
try, we  sat  for  a  time  together  in  silence.  Then 
he  called  his  attendant,  and,  mounting  his 
horse,  went  away,  riding  slowly  over  a  meadow, 
and  then  disappeared  in  the  jungles.  What 
a  grand  man,  I  thought.  Yet  Antonio,  King 
of  the  Talamancas,  has  a  reputation  for  un- 
reasoning deviltry  and  uncontrolled  passions 
throughout  all  Costa  Rica. 

That  day  I  could  do  little;  preparations 
were  made  for  my  visit,  and  then  nothing  re- 
mained but  to  wait. 

143 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE  DEATH   DANCE   OF   THE  TALAMANCA  INDIANS 

When  the  sun  of  the  next  afternoon  hung 
heavy,  and  from  the  jungle  long  shadows  began 
reaching  over  the  meadows,  three  Indians  came 
riding  to  the  mission.  A  few  words  of  wel- 
come, a  little  advice  from  the  fathers,  who  were 
somewhat  disturbed  at  my  going,  and  I  was 
ready.  My  guides  were  fine  men,  but  not  nearly 
so  large  or  so  strong  as  Antonio;  perhaps  he 
was  of  a  more  ancient  blood,  or  descended  from 
those  who  in  centuries  past  had  conquered  the 
men  of  the  woodlands,  and,  ruling,  had  kept 
themselves  somewhat  apart  from  those  who 
served;  the  difference  was  marked,  and  must 
have  had  causes  other  than  climate  or  conditions 
of  living. 

After  travelling  an  hour  or  more  through  the 
jungles,  we  came  to  a  clearing  and  saw  a  number 

144 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

of  huts,  and  further  on  a  great  conical  building 
like  a  round  tent,  but  thatched  from  the  ground 
to  the  peak  with  palm  leaves  and  straw.  Here 
Antonio  was  waiting  with  a  grave  welcome; 
seats  were  brought  for  my  guides,  a  hammock 
for  me.  In  the  house  it  was  twilight;  at  the 
door  the  bright  rays  of  the  sunset;  above  us 
the  roof  was  so  high  it  was  dark,  like  a  cave ;  a 
fire  burned  low  at  one  side  of  the  house,  great 
earthen  jars  standing  near  it;  many  Indians 
were  sitting  about  talking  softly  or  resting  in 
silence;  yet  the  house  was  so  large  I  could  dis- 
tinguish only  their  forms.  A  shed  protected  the 
entrance  from  the  rains,  and  formed  an  open 
veranda  where  horses  were  tied,  and  the  Indians 
gathered  at  times,  though  for  the  greater  part 
they  sought  the  deep  twilight  within  their 
strange  house. 

For  a  time  we  were  silent.  Antonio,  holding 
a  staff,  his  insignia  of  office,  was  listening  to  low, 
earnest  voices  from  men  grouped  about  him. 
They  presently  finished,  and  then,  at  a  sign  from 
Antonio,  women  and  boys  came,  passing  large 
gourds  of  chicha.  The  Indians  drank  eagerly, 
but  for  me  I  would  much  have  preferred  to  de- 
cline ;   I  knew  better,  however,  and  drank  about 

145 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

a  pint  or  two  of  the  sour  stuff,  said  it  was  good, 
and  asked  them  for  more,  and  it  did  me  not  the 
least  bit  of  good  to  wish  that  I  hadn't.  We  sat 
for  awhile,  then  Antonio  said  we  would  go  to  a 
dance  for  the  dead  which  that  night  would  be 
most  impressive.  Horses  were  ordered,  and  I 
found  that  my  eagerness  need  not  be  concealed ; 
even  the  King  became  animated,  and  expectant 
Indians  were  awaiting  a  signal  that  they  might 
proceed  on  their  way;  rather  strange  it  all 
seemed,  a  funeral,  yet  so  much  expectation  of 
pleasure.  While  we  were  waiting,  I  stopped 
to  speak  to  a  group  of  boys  who  were  looking 
at  me  intently.  Among  them  was  a  lad  of  some 
sixteen  years  who  was  taller  and  better  appear- 
ing; his  face  indicated  a  sensitive  nature  and 
intelligence  of  a  high  order.  I  asked  him  his 
name.  He  looked  surprised,  and  then  replied: 
"Me?  I  am  Josecito."  This  was  the  heir  to  the 
King,  and  no  prince  could  have  shown  greater 
pride  in  his  rank.  Then  immediately  all  was 
forgotten  in.  his  eager  desire  to  see  the  few 
things  that  I  carried,  and  to  hear  of  the  great 
world  beyond  the  deep  jungles;  and  this  boy 
would  be  king,  but  a  ruler  of  what?  Of  tribal 
legends   and  of  the  influence  they   brought  — 

146 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

that  is  all.  Now  Antonio  came  and  he  and  his 
household  were  ready,  a  goodly  company,  who 
conducted  me  to  another  large  house,  where  we 
arrived  at  that  time  in  the  tropics  when,  after 
sunset,  night  seems  to  rise  out  of  the  jungles. 
Here  I  found  a  great  number  of  Indians  gath- 
ered together.  We  were  welcomed,  but  most  of 
the  people  looked  strangely  at  me,  and  then 
turned  to  the  King  with  expressions  of  wonder, 
and  soon  the  leading  men  had  gathered  about 
him,  all  earnestly  talking.  Then  Antonio,  rais- 
ing the  staff  of  his  office,  entered  the  house,  the 
other  men  following.  I  went  in  too,  for  I 
wished  to  see  all  that  was  done,  and  my  action 
met  with  approval;  a  hammock  was  brought, 
in  which  I  sat  watching  with  interest  while 
Antonio,  his  principal  men  gathered  around  him, 
held  consultation  the  same  as  he  had  done  be- 
fore. The  King  said  little,  though  he  listened 
with  care  to  those  who  wished  to  speak  with 
him,  and  then,  when  all  had  finished,  he  raised 
his  staff,  and  in  a  few  words  gave  his  decision. 
Then  some  of  the  men  came  to  me  with  a  wel- 
come; the  decision  had  been  in  my  favour,  and 
I  should  see  all,  and,  waiting,  made  myself  pa- 
tient. 
147 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

It  was  now  grown  dark,  but  in  the  large  house 
a  fire  and  numerous  torches  sent  a  bright,  waver- 
ing' light  through  the  midst  of  the  Indians 
and  high  up  above  them,  till  the  roof  could  be 
seen  through  the  masses  of  smoke  which,  in  the 
damp  air,  hung  heavily  drooping. 

Men  and  boys  now  came  serving  out  chicha, 
great  gourds  full,  giving  me  more  than  enough. 
Then  all  sat  around  laughing  and  talking  while 
the  night  grew  about  them,  and  the  air  became 
heavy  with  dampness.  After  some  time  had 
passed,  a  deep-toned  drum,  a  musical,  resonant 
sound,  called  for  attention;  then,  to  the  slow 
measured  beatings,  four  men  went  to  the  back 
of  the  house  and  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
facing  the  people  and  keeping  measured  time 
with  their  feet.  Then  two  others  joined  them; 
these  wore  crowns  of  white  feathers  and  carried 
gourd  rattles.  After  a  time  one  other  came, 
in  his  hand  a  small  implement  made  of  hard 
wood  which,  on  being  struck,  gave  a  sharp  click- 
ing sound;  then  immediately  men  and  boys 
came  to  the  line,  each  with  a  drum  —  or  tambor, 
in  the  Indian  tongue,  a  word  in  a  measure  ex- 
pressive of  the  sound  made  when  they  are  beaten 
with  the  palm  of  one's  hand.     In  line  with  the 

148 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

dancers,  I  saw  Josecito  standing  expectant,  on 
his  head  a  crown  of  white  feathers,  under  the 
left  arm  a  tambor;  he  looked  brave  and  most 
strikingly  handsome. 

When  the  line  had  been  formed,  the  men  who 
first  took  their  places  began  a  weird  chant  in 
low  voices,  taken  up  one  after  the  other,  and 
then  in  unison  chanting  together;  a  sound  not 
unmusical  and  something  like  that  of  a  wind 
sighing  among  many  trees  and  their  branches. 
Then  a  tremulous  sound  rose  up  with  the  chant- 
ing, as  the  men  with  gourd  rattles  now  gave 
them  a  circular  motion,  then  a  sharp  clicking 
came,  as  the  Indian  who  carried  the  small 
wooden  object  beat  a  time  on  it;  with  that  the 
long  line  of  dancers  swayed  for  a  moment  and 
then,  in  a  slow,  measured  step,  began  to  move 
forward  and  backward,  with  the  tambors  stead- 
ily beating,  the  continued  tremulous  sound  of 
the  rattling  gourds,  the  sharp  clicking  time- 
beat,  the  drawn-out  chant  of  the  singers  rising 
and  falling  in  rhythmic,  monotonous  cadence; 
a  long  line  of  Indians,  impressive  because  they 
were  deeply  in  earnest,  parading  and  chanting 
farewell  to  their  dead.  In  perfect  unison  the 
Indians  went  through  the  performance,   while 

149 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  fire  burned  low,  and  the  torches,  unattended, 
now  flickered  dimly;  but  the  Indians  continued 
steadily  forward  a  step ;  a  pause ;  a  step ;  back- 
ward a  step,  a  step;  gradually  gaining  a  little 
ground  forward  toward  the  eastern  side  of  the 
house  to  which  the  line  was  now  turned,  where 
high  above  them,  rudely  fashioned  and  made 
fast  to  the  thatched  side  of  the  house,  were  three 
packages,  bound  securely  with  leaves,  the  bones 
of  their  dead  awaiting  final  interment.  A  long 
time  the  dance  was  continued  till  a  place  just 
under  the  dead  had  been  reached.  Then  the 
chanting  became  more  subdued,  the  wailing 
notes  long  drawn  out,  the  tambors,  touched 
lightly,  gave  a  soft,  mournful  sound,  and  the 
rattling  fell  to  a  whispering  murmur,  then  the 
balancing  steps  were  scarce  more  than  a  sway- 
ing, till  gradually  all  became  still,  stood  silent 
an  instant,  and  then,  without  anything  further, 
went  quietly  back  to  their  various  places;  and 
in  a  few  moments  boys  and  young  men  came 
bringing  gourds  full  of  chicha,  while  in  all 
parts  of  the  house  subdued  voices  were  heard. 
A  long  interval,  during  which  some  fell  asleep, 
then  a  dance  was  formed  as  before,  this  time 
the  King  taking  the  central  position,  his  staff 

150 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

in  his  hand,  an  his  head  a  crown  of  white  feath- 
ers surmounted  by  long,  brilliant  plumes.  In 
this  dance  the  motion  was  slower,  the  singing 
subdued,  but  in  other  respects  it  was  quite  the 
same  as  the  first. 

Now  it  was  late,  and  when  this  dance  had 
been  finished  I  found  my  eyes  heavy;  my 
thought  was  to  sit  up  all  night,  but  the  chicha, 
the  smoke,  the  slow,  droning  music,  brought 
sleep  to  my  eyes ;  I  could  not  keep  awake.  The 
King  came  to  me  and  said  in  a  voice  of  concern: 
"  What,  are  you  sleeping  ?  My  house  would 
be  better."  I  roused  myself,  but  presently  na- 
ture would  claim  her  due,  and  as  most  of  the 
Indians  were  now  sleeping  soundly,  I  gave 
up  the  struggle,  and  the  next  thing  I  knew  it 
was  morning.  A  chilly  gray  light  and  a  damp, 
clinging  fog  came  in  through  the  door,  of 
the  Indians,  some  were  still  sleeping  and  some 
moving  about  at  various  duties.  The  King  came 
to  ask  me  how  I  had  rested,  and  to  say  that 
there  would  be  still  other  dances  after  the  morn- 
ing had  grown  a  little.  Then  we  went  to  a 
stream  near  the  house,  where  we  washed  and  pre- 
pared for  the  day,  the  King  taking  charge  of 
me  with  a  care  almost  tender;    on  his  face  a 

151 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

serious,  unmoved  expression.  Then  back  to  the 
house,  more  chicha,  and  with  it  gourds  of  boiled 
chocolate,  which  I  was  glad  to  receive,  for  I 
was  now  well  hungry. 

A  deep  red  glow  began  rising  over  the  fog; 
the  sun  would  soon  come,  and  the  Indians  began 
to  form  for  a  dance  which  clearly  would  be 
something  much  more  elaborate.  As  before,  the 
singers,  rattlers,  and  principal  men  first  took 
their  places  in  a  row  at  the  back  of  the  house; 
then  at  either  end  of  the  row  other  Indians 
placed  themselves  in  line  at  right  angles.  Now 
the  wailing  chant  was  begun,  then  the  tremulous 
rattling,  and  after  that  the  sharp,  clicking 
sound,  and  when  this  commenced  three  Indians 
bearing  a  light  staff  between  them  came  with 
slow  steps  and  stood  back  of  the  singers.  On 
the  staff  I  noticed  three  rings  tied  together  and 
made  of  bark  rudely  plaited,  and  I  fell  to  won- 
dering what  they  might  mean ;  then  a  soft  beat- 
ing was  made  on  the  tambors,  and  an  Indian 
came,  in  his  hand  a  brilliant  red  feather,  its  base 
wrapped  in  a  green  leaf,  and  he  took  a  place 
facing  the  singers.  The  Indians  holding  the 
tambors  increased  the  force  of  their  slow,  meas- 
ured beating,  till  the  whole  house  was  full  of  the 

152 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

deep  reverberations,  mingled  with  the  weird 
chant  of  the  singers,  the  tremulous  rattling, 
and  the  sharp,  clicking  sound.  Then  slowly 
forward  and  back,  as  before,  went  the  line  of 
singers,  musicians,  and  principal  men,  but  those 
at  the  sides  remained  still;  the  Indian  bearing 
the  feather  went  through  the  same  steps  in  front 
of  the  singers,  moving  backward  or  forward 
as  they  advanced  or  retreated,  and  in  the  same 
manner  and  on  the  same  step  the  three  Indians 
bearing  the  staff  came  following  after.  This 
movement  for  a  time  was  continued;  the  tam- 
bors,  beating  slowly  at  first,  were  now  touched 
more  rapidly,  and  gradually  increased  till,  with 
sudden  energy,  the  men  at  the  sides  broke  the 
lines  in  which  they  were  standing,  and  in  groups 
of  four,  with  shoulder  pressed  against  shoulder, 
began  a  movement  with  a  long  step  forward, 
a  step  to  the  side,  and  another  step  back,  all 
in  the  most  perfect  order,  circling  round  and 
round  the  ceremonious  dancers,  who  continued 
steadily  on  as  before.  Faster  and  faster  the 
outer  dancers  beat  on  their  tambors,  keeping 
time  with  their  steps,  not  any  one  faltering,  but 
in  companies  swept  on  around  and  around,  till 
the  time  was  set  at  so  rapid  a  pace  that  all 
153 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

could  not  keep  it;  and  now  each  company  bent 
every  effort  to  run  into  and  break  up  the  party 
who  danced  just  before  them.  A  game  of  rare 
skill,  the  step  must  never  be  broken,  each  group 
pressed  on  to  the  next,  and  in  turn  was  beset  by 
the  group  following  after,  while  in  the  centre 
the  ceremonious  dancers,  continuing  on  with 
wailing  chant,  and  its  accompaniment  of  weird 
sounds,  were  not  once  disturbed.  This  required 
real  skill  from  those  dancing  around  them. 
Now  all  was  excitement;  the  young  men  forced 
the  dance  to  their  utmost,  the  women  with  praise 
or  reproach  sat  eagerly  watching.  Josecito, 
the  young  prince,  was  leading  one  party,  and 
a  better  dancer  could  scarce  be  imagined.  As 
the  dance  continued,  one  group,  then  another, 
was  run  down  and  forced  to  one  side,  till,  finally, 
Josecito  with  his  men,  and  a  group  of  much 
stronger  Indians  were  all  who  remained,  and 
it  now  became  a  race  of  endurance.  For  a  time 
the  honours  were  even,  but  Josecito  was  only 
sixteen,  those  with  him  nothing  but  boys ;  their 
opponents  were  older  and  stronger.  The 
younger  party  grew  tired,  faltered,  lost  the 
step,  tried  to  recover,  made  a  bad  start,  lost 
the  step  once  again,  and  then,  sweeping  on,  the 

154 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

older  men  passed  among  them,  their  line  was 
destroyed,  and  Josecito,  red  in  the  face,  ran  out 
of  the  house  to  hide  his  confusion.  The  re- 
maining group  circled  round  the  ceremonious 
dancers,  going  gradually  slower,  till  they 
stopped  and  stood  at  one  side,  beating  softly 
on  their  tambors.  Then  the  ceremonious  dan- 
cers turned  to  the  remains  of  their  dead,  and 
the  chant  died  away  in  a  wailing  farewell  which 
could  not  be  misunderstood.  Then,  after  stand- 
ing a  moment  in  silence,  all  returned  to  their 
places.  Josecito  looked  in  at  the  door,  and  then 
ran  away,  as  if  ashamed  of  his  failure.  For 
a  time  the  Indians  all  rested,  then  a  new  dance 
was  formed,  different  again  from  the  others  in 
that  the  women  prepared  to  dance  with  the  men. 
The  singers,  musicians,  and  principal  men 
stood  as  they  had  done  before,  the  chant  and 
the  step  were  the  same,  the  accompaniment  in 
no  way  different;  but,  as  the  beating  of  the 
tambors  came  quicker,  the  women  began  to  dance 
round  and  round,  as  the  boys  had  done,  except 
that  they  danced  hand  in  hand,  while  the  boys 
held  their  lines  by  pressing  shoulder  to  shoul- 
der, and  keeping  the  most  perfect  time  in  their 
steps.  The  women  gave  little  attention  to  time 
155 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  the  step,  but  they  danced  with  an  abandon 
of  motion  which  was  most  attractive.  As  the 
dance  progressed,  it  became  much  confused,  and 
was  pushed  rapidly  on  to  its  end;  then  came 
the  wailing  farewell,  and  the  Indians  returned 
to  their  seats  or  stood  about  talking  together. 

More  chicha  was  served,  and  then  the  King 
said  that,  as  I  had  seen  all  the  dances,  we  would 
go  to  his  house  and  sit  for  a  time,  if  I  wished. 
Taking  leave  was  of  very  small  moment,  the 
same  as  I  had  found  it  among  other  tribes,  and 
even  the  King  was  not  noticed;  we  simply 
walked  out  of  the  house ;  that  was  all.  Shortly 
we  arrived  at  the  King's  home,  and  in  the  deep 
shadowy  interior  sat  at  ease  resting.  Then  I 
said :  "  Don  Antonio,  why  do  you  dance  for 
the  dead?  I  have  seen,  but  I  want  to  know 
what  it  all  means."  With  an  expression  of  real 
regret  on  his  face,  the  King  shook  his  head, 
saying :  "  No,  my  white  visitor,  I  love  you  much, 
but  the  dances  they  are  of  the  Sukias  and  the 
Singers.  I,  as  King,  know  all,  truly,  but  to 
tell  or  not  that  belongs  only  to  them.  And  yet 
why  should  we  keep  these  secrets?  I  am  not  a 
king;  as  the  government  commands,  so  I  do; 
our  secrets  mean  little  now.     For  myself  I  wish 

156 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

you  to  know.  A  Sukia  will  come;  be  patient 
and  wait."  So  we  waited  and  the  Sukia  came, 
and  when  he  had  talked  with  the  King  he  said, 
gravely,  to  me :  "  Why  do  you  want  to  know 
of  our  dead,  you  of  a  far  distant  country ; 
what  is  it  to  you.f^  " 

I  answered,  explaining  that  I  was  sent  by 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  a 
great  palace  as  big  almost  as  a  mountain,  where 
records  of  all  the  Indians  were  kept  that  none 
might  be  lost  or  forgotten  —  a  record  that 
should  be  for  them,  their  children,  and  all  peo- 
ple for  ever.  Then  I  told  of  the  museum  and 
the  work  it  had  done;  this  caught  their  fancy, 
and  when  I  had  talked  a  long  time  and  answered 
their  questions,  the  King  said :  "  It  is  good.  I 
no  longer  am  King;  those  who  command  and 
send  soldiers  care  not  at  all,  and  lest  everything 
should  be  forgotten  we  will  tell  you.  Our  word 
is,  we  will  tell  you ;  your  word  is,  you  will  keep 
the  record  for  us,  for  our  children  and  for  all 
who  may  care  to  know.  Were  I  a  king  we  would 
keep  for  ourselves  our  remembrances ;  to-day 
our  power  is  gone;  to-morrow  we  may  not  be 
at  all. 

"  I,  Antonio,  am  King,  the  oldest  son  first 

157 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

bom  of  the  other  King's  oldest  sister ;  so  it  has 
been  always.  Not  the  son  of  the  King,  but 
the  son  of  the  King's  oldest  sister,  for  who 
knows  that  a  son  born  to  the  King's  women 
might  be  not  of  his  blood.  The  people  obey 
the  King,  and  next  to  the  King  are  the  Sukias 
—  wise  men  who  charm  away  evil,  keep  the 
Bugaru  (chief  evil  spirit)  from  destroying  the 
people,  and  who,  with  their  charms,  save  the 
sick  from  the  influence  of  the  spirits  of  evil 
which  for  ever  are  seeking  to  injure  the  living, 
and  all  believe  in  and  follow  the  word  of  the 
Sukias.  The  chief  Sukia  is  wise  beyond  the 
others ;  him  all  fear ;  he  lives  deep  in  the  moun- 
tains and  seldom  is  seen.  Even  the  King  has 
fear  of  him,  and  before  him  the  Bugaru  never 
can  stand. 

"  After  the  Sukias  are  the  Becockaras,  who 
watch  over  the  food,  the  fields,  and  the  cattle; 
with  them  all  people  consult  and  find  wisdom 
for  their  planting,  their  hunting,  their  going 
away,  and  their  coming  again. 

"  Apart  from  all  are  the  Singers,  who  com- 
mune with  the  dead,  and  watch  over  those  who 
have  been  taken  from  us.  When  a  man  dies 
he  is   gone,  and  wants  no  more  of  the  things 

158 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

which  were  here;  and,  as  he  wants  them  not, 
we  in  due  time  make  a  feast,  eating  and  drink- 
ing. We  do  not  give  what  he  had  to  his  sons 
and  his  women;  in  the  woods  there  is  plenty, 
and  the  fields  yield  enough;  if  they  work,  they 
have  no  want  of  things  which  belonged  to  the 
dead.  Let  them  work  and  take  from  the  earth 
that  which  is  fresh  and  good  for  their  lives; 
but  if  they  care  not  to  work,  they  are  not  worthy 
to  have.  The  people  who  rule  tell  us  this  is 
wrong;   we  do  not  hold  it  a  wrong. 

"  When  one  is  dead,  those  who  are  appointed 
to  handle  the  body  take  it  away  to  the  woods; 
there,  bound  securely  with  cloth  and  with  leaves, 
and  placed  in  a  house  made  of  poles,  the  body 
remains  for  a  year,  till  the  sun  rises  again  on 
the  day  of  that  life's  departure;  and  if  the 
bones  are  found  cleaned  by  the  wind  and  the 
rain,  it  is  well ;  the  body  is  freed  from  the  flesh, 
and  can  then  be  taken  high  in  the  mountains 
to  be  buried  in  the  great  vaults  which  were  made 
in  days  so  long  gone  past  that  none  remember 
their  making,  only  we  know  that  there  all  are 
gathered  together ;  but  before  the  bones  are  taken 
away,  we  dance  and  rejoice,  bcause  now  they 
are  safe,  and  this  we  do  dancing,  drinking,  and 

159 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

eating  till  all  that  belonged  to  the  dead  is  con- 
sumed. Then  the  family  take  up  the  bones 
and  go  by  themselves  to  the  safe  place  high 
in  the  mountains,  and  when  they  have  laid  the 
dead  in  the  vault  which  is  theirs,  for  each  fam- 
ily has  one,  they  leave  a  few  things,  that  the 
dead  may  not  be  in  want,  or  be  sent  away  empty- 
handed;  not  that  we  think  the  things  will  be 
needed,  but  only  because  it  has  been  so  always ; 
then  the  family  come  home  again  to  the  low- 
lands. 

"  The  dances  you  saw  were  in  farewell  and 
rejoicing,  because  those  departed  were  safe. 
The  first  dance  was  held  for  a  woman.  You  saw 
it.  She  had  served  the  men  well,  and  they 
danced  for  her  who  had  left  them.  The  second 
dance  was  for  a  man,  and  his  companions  danced 
in  his  memory ;  you  saw  the  singers  in  farewell, 
as  at  first,  but  with  others  joining  to  aid  and 
remember.  The  young  men  about  the  singers 
represented  the  struggles  of  the  life  which  had 
been  and  which  for  them  would  still  be.  Behind 
those  who  sang  were  three  bearing  a  staff,  and 
on  the  staff  was  a  snake  of  the  lowlands,  a  type 
of  the  evil  which  the  dead  were  now  leaving 
behind  them  for  ever;    and  before  those   who 

160 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

danced  and  sang  in  farewell  was  one  bearing  a 
feather  from  a  bird  of  the  mountains;  and 
dancing  he  was  a  spirit,  a  bird  leading  and 
calling  on  to  the  mountains  where  the  dead  were 
to  rest  and  would  be  safe  for  ever. 

"  The  last  dance  was  for  a  child  only ;  the 
farewell  was  the  same,  but  the  women  to  whom 
is  confided  the  care  of  the  children  danced  round 
about  hand  in  hand  in  token  of  life  and  its 
struggles ;  but  not  in  order ;  they  danced  in 
and  out  among  those  who  sang,  for  the  child's 
life  had  been  broken,  and  so  was  their  dance. 

*'  This  is  all ;  it  is  little ;  only  farewell  to  the 
dead.  Not  that  they  need  it,  but  only  that  it 
has  been  so  always;  it  is  our  custom  and  it  is 
nothing  more." 

Then  Antonio,  the  King,  stopped  talking. 
Beyond  the  deep  shade  of  his  cave-like  house 
was  the  intense  burning  heat  of  the  tropics; 
a  shimmering  of  light  over  the  green  of  the 
jungles;  a  wavering  of  intense  heat  over  the 
grass  in  the  clearing  in  front  of  his  houses. 
Quietly  the  cattle  and  horses  were  feeding; 
scarce  a  breath  stirred.  Antonio  the  King 
looked  over  the  scene  a  long  time  in  silence,  and 
then  said,  as  if  thinking  aloud :   "  For  the  white 

161 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

men  the  cities,  plantations,  the  ships;  for  the 
Indians  only  the  forests.  Why  will  they  not 
leave  us  our  own?  " 

There  was  much  that  I  wanted  to  know  beside 
what  had  been  told,  and  I  asked  the  King  how 
the  dead  were  finally  buried,  to  which  he  replied : 
"  There  is  little  ceremony ;  the  package  of  bones 
is  placed  in  a  hammock  and  carried  to  the  bury- 
ing-ground  in  the  mountains;  the  top  of  the 
vault  is  removed,  and  the  dead  laid  away  with 
those  who  had  gone  before  them;  the  vault  is 
covered  again,  and  by  its  side  we  leave  a  stool 
to  sit  on,  a  clay  jar  for  chicha,  a  cup  for  drink- 
ing, a  gourd,  and  for  each  man  a  bow,  arrows, 
hunting-bag,  and  his  walking-staff;  for  each 
woman  a  basket.  We  do  not  think  the  dead 
need  these  things;    it  is  only  a  custom." 

Would  they  show  me  the  burying-ground  ? 
Decidedly  they  would  not,  because  they  knew 
the  white  men  would  dig  open  the  vaults  and 
take  the  bones  of  their  dead,  an  act  they  all 
feared,  the  King  saying :  "  That  is  a  curious 
custom  of  yours.  Your  people  want  our  dead, 
yet  never  think  of  disturbing  your  own.  Why 
do  you  this?  We  cannot  tell,  and  do  not  hear 
your  words  of  excuse." 

162 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Then  I  said :  "  Don  Antonio,  ask  them  to 
sell  me  all  the  things  they  use  in  a  dance  of 
farewell,  that  I  may  make  a  dance  for  myself." 

"Without  the  dead?  That  would  be  foul," 
and  the  face  of  the  King  wore  a  grave,  anxious 
look. 

"  But,"  I  urged,  "  one  will  die ;  let  me  have 
these  things,  for  the  dance  is  good." 

Then  Antonio  said :  "  What  harm  can  it 
do.''"  and  to  the  men  standing  near:  "Get 
the  things  for  him,  that,  knowing  all,  he  may 
even  dance  for  himself  if  he  will." 

Agreements  were  quickly  made,  and  I  was 
promised  that  in  a  few  days  the  collection  would 
be  completed. 

Then  the  King  brought  out  the  regalia  and  let 
me  take  the  things  in  my  hand.  The  staff  of 
office  was  of  very  hard  wood,  a  bird's  head  carved 
at  the  top,  the  throat  hollow  and  containing  a 
ball  with  which  a  clear,  rattling  sound  could 
be  made.  The  crown  was  of  feathers,  a  circle  of 
white  plumes  from  the  eagle,  with  long  red  and 
blue  tail  feathers  from  the  mackaw  standing 
erect  at  the  front,  while  around  the  base  of  the 
crown  were  iridescent  feathers,  green,  red,  blue, 
and  yellow,  cleverly  blended  together.     Around 

163 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

his  neck  were  hung  seven  golden  eagles,  identical 
in  form  with  others  found  among  the  most 
ancient  graves  in  Costa  Rica.  He  had  also  a 
string  of  shell  beads  like  those  found  in  old 
graves,  and  called  pre-Colombian. 

When  I  had  seen  the  regalia,  the  King  said  he 
was  obliged  to  leave  me  alone  for  a  time,  because 
some  Indians  had  called  him. 

I  went  to  the  hut  where  I  was  to  live,  think- 
ing of  all  I  had  seen  and  wondering  by  what 
means  more  could  be  learned.  I  was  commis- 
sioned to  make  a  collection,  and  the  idea  took 
my  fancy  that  the  model  of  a  dead  Indian,  and 
a  second  model  of  the  bones  prepared  for  the 
dance  and  final  interment  would  be  specimens 
well  worth  the  effort.  To  prepare  the  model 
I  had  only  some  string  and  my  knife,  but  in 
the  tropics  nature  is  lavish,  and  with  the  aid 
of  some  of  the  younger  Indians,  who  appeared 
immensely  amused  at  what  I  proposed,  mate- 
rial was  found  in  abundance.  A  young  Indian 
willingly  stood  for  a  model,  and  after  taking 
measurements  carefully,  I  began  the  construc- 
tion. A  gourd  served  very  well  for  a  head; 
a  young  bushy  tree  provided  a  collar-bone, 
spine,  and  the  ribs,  which  were  bent  into  shape 

164 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA      * 

with  my  bits  of  string.  A  second  gourd  care- 
fully cut  made  a  good  imitation  of  thighs,  and 
jointed  pieces  of  wood  formed  the  legs,  arms, 
feet,  and  hands.  Then  the  body  was  padded 
with  straw  till  its  appearance  became  really  nat- 
ural, and  the  young  Indians  said  it  was  truly  a 
"  deader."  Then  I  told  them  that  the  body  was 
my  Uncle  Gabriel,  and  that  I  must  have  him 
laid  out  in  the  woods,  because  he  was  dead.  The 
men  objected,  of  course,  but  they  yielded  after 
a  time.  Cloth  was  procured,  and  the  body 
wrapped  snugly,  and  an  outer  covering  of  green 
leaves  bound  securely  around  it.  The  bows, 
arrows,  staff,  cup,  and  hunting-bag  were  bound 
together  and  laid  on  its  right  side;  a  stool  was 
brought  and  placed  at  its  feet,  and  by  the  left 
hand  was  placed  a  jar  for  chicha.  Then  I  asked 
them  to  take  up  the  model  and  prepare  a  place 
in  the  woods  where  it  might  stay  for  a  year. 
This  they  positively  refused ;  yet  I  forced  them, 
urging,  threatening,  and  commanding.  Then 
one  said :  "  This  is  bad,  but  we  finish.  Take 
up  your  deader  and  come."  We  started  at  once, 
but  warning  cries  of  horror  and  fear  came  from 
the  women.  The  men  stopped,  but  by  some 
influence,  I  hardly  know  how,  I  made  them  go 
165 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

on.  In  the  woods  the  work  was  soon  done. 
First  a  little  place  was  cleared  in  a  thicket; 
then  poles  were  laid  on  the  ground,  a  few  leaves 
put  over  them,  and  on  these  the  model  was 
placed.  Around  it  slender  poles  were  forced 
in  the  ground,  and  all  bound  tightly  together, 
forming  a  cage  in  which  a  body  would  stay  a 
long  time  well  secured;  about  it  the  staff,  bow, 
arrows,  and  hunting-bag,  the  stool,  and  the  jar 
for  chicha  were  laid  as  before;  that  was  all, 
and  seemed  very  little  to  have  required  such 
effort.  The  cage  was  taken  up,  the  pieces  care- 
fully labelled  that  they  might  be  put  together 
again  in  New  York,  and  the  specimens  were 
thus  carried  back  to  the  hut  in  which  I  was 
living.  On  the  way  we  saw  frightened  women 
run  to  hide  in  the  King's  house,  though  some 
stood  at  a  distance  looking  at  us  with  wonder- 
ing caution. 

In  regard  to  the  objects  used  in  the  dances, 
the  King's  orders  were  being  obeyed,  and  all 
the  implements  were  freely  brought  to  me,  all 
but  the  wooden  instrument  on  which  the  clicking 
sound  was  made.  There  was  but  one  in  the 
tribe,  which  had  been  handed  down  from  time 
immemorial,  and  no  one  had  any  idea  of  making 

166 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

another,  but  as  dances  were  held  without  it, 
because  it  were  impossible  that  the  instrument 
should  be  at  the  service  of  all,  I  did  not  con- 
sider it  of  such  great  importance.  I  was  most 
anxious  to  secure  a  model  of  the  bones  as  pre- 
pared for  final  interment,  and  now  sat  in  my 
house  planning  how  this  should  be  done,  and 
listening  to  frightened  voices  and  exclamations 
of  anger  from  Indians  in  the  King's  house, 
where  they  had  gathered  together.  How  long 
they  continued  I  do  not  remember,  for  when 
evening  came  I  went  to  my  hammock,  taking 
my  pistol  with  me  as  usual,  and  soon  fell  asleep, 
leaving  my  plans  and  the  Indians  till  morning. 

The  next  day  I  found  everything  quiet  again, 
and  set  to  work  preparing  my  skeleton  model. 
It  was  not  easy  work,  for  material  was  scarce. 
The  h^ad  was  a  gourd,  branches  and  bits  of 
wood  formed  the  bones,  a  hollow  stick  cut  in 
sections  represented  the  spine,  and  from  a  large 
gourd  thigh  bones  were  made.  Then  all  were 
laid  out  on  the  floor,  each  bit  of  wood  in  the 
place  where  a  bone  should  have  been.  The  eff^ect 
was  so  natural  that  the  Indians  were  frightened ; 
then  they  became  interested,  and  when  I  said 
the  bones  were  those  of  my  Uncle  Gabriel,  re- 

167 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

cently  dead,  and  that  I  must  have  them  pre- 
pared for  a  dance  I  would  hold  in  New  York, 
they  looked  at  me  in  wonder,  hesitated,  and  then 
prepared  to  obey.  A  cloth  was  brought,  and 
the  mimic  skull  carefully  taken,  the  collar-bones 
were  thrust  into  the  opening  to  hold  it  in  place, 
the  ribs  were  forced  through  the  sections  rep- 
resenting the  spine,  and  all  were  laid  on  the 
cloth,  the  skull  at  the  top;  then  at  either  side 
they  placed  the  bones  of  the  arms,  the  bits  of 
wood  representing  the  fingers  and  hands  were 
placed  in  little  piles  at  the  base  of  the  arms ;  the 
thigh  bones  were  placed  where  the  stomach 
would  be,  the  legs  were  put  in  position,  at  the 
end  of  each  were  placed  the  bits  of  wood  which 
represented  the  bones  of  the  feet;  then  the 
cloth  was  folded  over,  and  the  compact  little 
package  bound  tightly  with  cords ;  leaves  were 
brought  from  the  forest,  and  the  final  binding 
was  being  put  on,  when  a  tumult  of  wailing 
and  outcry  came  from  the  women;  something 
was  shouted  in  a  horrified  voice,  which  was  im- 
mediately taken  up  by  all  of  the  people.  The 
men  started  back,  and,  looking  at  me  with 
terror,  refused  to  proceed  with  the  work.  I  was 
determined  to  make  them,  and  would  not  allow 

168 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

them  to  go  out  of  the  house.  Perhaps  they 
feared  me  more  than  my  model;  at  any  rate, 
after  a  moment,  they  turned  again  to  their  work, 
and,  with  faces  perspiring  and  hands  that  were 
trembhng,  they  finished  it  all.  I  ordered  them 
then  to  prepare  a  support,  and  place  the  model 
on  it  as  if  it  were  there  for  a  dance;  this  they 
did,  while  the  women  shouted  denunciations  and 
cried  out  in  fear.  When  all  had  been  finished, 
two  bits  of  wood,  one  hard  and  one  soft,  in  which 
a  fire  had  been  kindled  by  friction,  were  placed 
under  the  leaves  surrounding  the  package  of 
bones,  and  the  dead  was  provided  with  fire.  A 
hammock  was  brought  in  which  the  remains 
could  be  carried;  that  was  all,  and  then  my 
collection  was  finished.  The  men  hurried  away, 
saying  that  never  would  they  again  enter  that 
house,  which  they  now  held  had  been  cursed. 
The  women  had  all  disappeared,  and  I  noticed 
as  I  packed  up  my  specimens  that  everywhere 
there  was  an  ominous  silence;  perhaps  my  in- 
vestigations would  yet  cost  me  dear.  In  the 
afternoon  Josecito  came  to  say  that  he  wanted 
me  to  sleep  at  his  house.  I  wanted  to  go,  but 
who  would  care  for  my  specimens  ?  No,  I  deter- 
mined that  I  would  remain,  and  Josecito  rode 
169 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

slowly  away.  That  evening  the  women  came 
back,  but  there  was  no  supper  for  me.  I  passed 
an  anxious  night,  and  yet  nothing  happened. 
In  the  morning  I  gathered  my  specimens  to- 
gether, intending  to  start  for  the  clearings, 
where  the  Costa  Rican  Governor  was  living,  but 
here  were  new  troubles.  No  Indian  would  touch 
the  evil  things  I  had  made,  and  it  was  evident 
they  did  not  intend  to  permit  me  to  take  them 
myself.  I  had  no  thought  of  yielding,  so  a 
contest  of  wills  was  begun ;  yet  for  me  the  time 
was  not  lost,  for  I  set  to  work  to  learn  the  words 
of  their  chant,  and  after  getting  a  fragment 
from  one  or  another  I  began  to  have  some  idea 
of  it  all.  The  words  were  known,  but  they 
belonged  to  a  language  which  had  been  lost, 
and  even  the  singers  had  no  idea  of  their  mean- 
ing. From  a  drunken  Indian  who  happened 
that  way  I  finally  got  all  the  words  together, 
after  a  rather  comical  experience,  in  which  I 
started  a  rough  singing  contest,  though  I  can- 
not claim  any  voice  except  one  which  is  at  Its 
best  only  when  silent;  yet  It  now  served  the 
purpose,  and  after  awhile  the  Indian  took  up 
the  singing  and  began  to  chant  their  farewell 
to  the  dead;   the  words  were  repeated  over  and 

170 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

over,  and  as  he  sang  I  set  them  down  as  they 
are  here: 

K,  ah  la  u  ha  ma  ta  ka  bi,  su  na  ka  bi  a  ya, 
da  shang  huan. 


s 

, ^       ^ fk 1 

g)!  J,       ^       J        J       J       J       l| J-      J        J        1^=1 

**  n,   oA.  <«.     ^  -kf. 

H»^  'Xa.  -  kc^    6tr 

U  J   J      j 

^nr-f — ■».•  ••  f\ 

2-1 SLJ 1_ 

f       -"            ^ 

il4«,>^Ut/-^a^     ^'"'"'a. 

y*» 

c  rj'l — r^    1 — r- 

1  '^^  r—i        1 

— g — ^—ft — ^ — ^^ 

-hi           A        4 

— m — 

..J               ^ 

-fi^^5 \ 1- 

?r""ir"F     4-^ 

■   ^r        c      r 

-^ 

'  '^  LJ M 

(In  the  musical  notation,  as  here  given,  the 
endeavour  has  been  made  in  the  arrangement 
to  render  the  death  chant  as  it  sounds  when  the 
Indians  are  singing  together  in  discord  and  in 
irregular  time  according  to  their  custom.     The 

171 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

air  is  the  monotone  accented  chant  as  it  sounds 
when  sung  by  one  Indian  as  a  solo.) 

This  was  an  addition  to  my  collection  of 
material,  but  I  was  no  nearer  getting  away  with 
it  all.  The  Indians  grinned  complacently,  and 
even  came  to  look  at  the  specimens,  but  touch 
them  —  not  for  anything.  That  evening  An- 
tonio the  King  returned,  and  I  thought  my 
troubles  were  over,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
Antonio  was  very  drunk.  I  was  still  in  his 
favour,  and  though  now  all  the  Indians  cowered 
before  him,  I  had  nothing  to  fear.  He  neither 
approved  nor  disapproved  of  my  specimens,  and 
even  apologized  for  his  condition,  blaming  it 
all  on  the  Christians,  as  he  called  the  white  men, 
who  talked  so  fair  but  would  not  trade  till  they 
had  given  them  drink,  and  then  when  the  In- 
dians were  happy  and  careless  made  unfair  ex- 
change, and  sent  them  home  almost  empty 
handed.  Then  he  looked  away  to  the  wood- 
lands with  sad,  drunken  eyes,  saying  over  and 
over :  "  I  am  not  a  King,  I  am  not  a  King,  or 
they   would  not  do  this." 

Antonio  said  he  could  not  order  the  men  to 
carry  my  things;    it  was  theirs  to  do  or  not 

172  . 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

as  they  pleased.  Only  for  himself  he  could 
say  I  might  take  them ;  that  was  all  he  could  do. 

That  night  I  sent  the  Governor  a  letter,  tell- 
ing him  of  my  difficulties  and  asking  his  aid, 
and  next  morning  three  soldiers  with  a  number 
of  mules  appeared  at  my  house,  much  to  my 
surprise,  and  said  that  the  Governor  had  sent 
them  to  help  me.  The  Indians  looked  on  in 
amazement  and  fear,  but  made  no  objection; 
then,  while  the  specimens  were  being  packed  on 
the  mules,  Antonio  the  King  came,  saying :  "  I 
ride  beside  you,  and  Josecito  has  gone  to  ride 
on  before  you." 

As  we  went  through  the  jungles  in  silence, 
we  frequently  met  with  bands  of  armed  Indians 
who,  on  seeing  the  King,  followed,  but  did  me 
no  harm,  and  presently  a  goodly  company  had 
gathered  together,  escorting  me  on  through  the 
woods.  After  a  time  we  stopped,  and  the  King 
said :  "  I  go  no  further.  We  are  now  near  the 
Governor,  and  he  is  against  me."  Then,  extend- 
ing his  hand,  he  said,  as  I  grasped  it :  "  Good- 
bye, come  again;  I  love  you  much."  Then  all 
the  Indians  left  us,  and  I  soon  reached  the  gov- 
ernment buildings,  where  there  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  express  my  deep  thanks  to  the  Gov- 

173 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

emor,  who  would  not  allow  me  to  pay  for  the 
mules  or  the  soldiers. 

Before  leaving  that  country  I  met  a  Sukia 
who  had  come  to  the  government  buildings,  and 
to  test  what  I  knew  of  the  farewell  chant  to  the 
dead,  I  sang  it  for  him,  and  the  surprised,  angry 
look  on  his  face,  as  he  demanded  where  I  had 
learned  it,  gave  me  assurance  that  I  had  not 
been  misled,  and  that  it  was  in  truth  the  death 
chant  of  the  Talamancas. 


174 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

UP    THE    ATRATO    RIVEE    IN    COLOMBIA 

After  a  few  days  I  left  Sipurio,  and  spent 
a  little  time  examining  the  jungles  and  rub- 
ber forests  of  Northern  Panama.  Rubber  is 
not  so  abundant  in  those  regions  as  formerly, 
but  the  lands  are  magnificently  rich,  the 
streams  clear  and  pleasant,  and  the  mountain- 
sides cool  and  healthy.  Everywhere  young  rub- 
ber-trees were  coming  up  through  the  woods, 
and  if  a  system  of  forestry  were  established, 
and  maintained,  all  the  jungles  would  soon 
become  abundantly  productive  of  rubber;  but 
at  present  the  search  is  so  eager,  and  unre- 
strained, that  before  a  young  rubber-tree  reaches 
the  period  of  seeding,  it  is  girdled  and  killed. 
Under  such  a  system,  rubber  is  fast  disappear- 
ing from  both  Costa  Rica  and  Panama. 

After  acquiring  some  lands  for  the  company 

175 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

I  represented,  I  returned  to  Port  Lemon,  and 
presently  took  a  steamer  for  Cartagena,  Colom- 
bia. 

The  voyage  was  for  two  days  only,  and, 
arriving  at  the  ancient  capital  of  Spain  in 
America,  I  found  myself  in  an  interesting  old 
city,  where  the  streets  were  narrow  and  the 
ancient  buildings  rich  in  memories  of  Spanish 
colonial  grandeur ;  all  enclosed  by  a  great  stone 
wall,  which  in  former  days  made  this  city  the 
impregnable  stronghold  of  the  early  Spanish 
rulers  in  America.  Cartagena  is  not  large,  and 
in  a  few  hours  all  the  points  of  interest  can  be 
seen,  and,  after  that,  time  and  the  sultry  air 
hang  heavily. 

For  a  few  days  I  wandered  about  the  city  and 
surrounding  country,  and  then  took  passage  on 
a  dilapidated  little  steam-tug,  en  route  for  the 
Darien  regions,  where  I  expected  to  make  a 
series  of  explorations. 

I  was  impressed  with  the  necessity  for  re- 
strictions in  regard  to  passenger  service  in  dan- 
gerously weak  steamers.  In  most  countries  the 
little  boat  in  which  I  was  travelling  would  have 
been  condemned  and  sold  for  old  junk,  but  in 
South  America  she  was  allowed  to  go  to  sea, 

176 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

though  whether  she  would  ever  come  back  was 
a  very  serious  question.  On  the  way  the  ma- 
chinery broke  down  several  times,  and  once  or 
twice  her  position  became  really  dangerous,  and 
during  the  whole  voyage  the  situation  was 
serious. 

We  ran  pretty  well  out  to  sea,  though  the 
water  was  quite  rough.  Once,  when  the  wind 
was  at  its  height,  I  noticed  two  white  specks 
on  the  horizon,  which  seemed  to  be  rapidly  ap- 
proaching. Presently  I  saw  that  they  were 
Indian  canoes,  nothing  but  shallow  dugouts,  yet, 
managed  by  the  Indians,  they  were  skimming 
over  the  waves  like  birds,  till  I  wondered  at  the 
dexterity  with  which  they  were  handled. 

One  afternoon  we  turned  toward  the  land, 
the  captain  looking  anxiously  ahead,  and  I  no- 
ticed that  the  men,  too,  were  peering  at  the 
water  as  if  in  fear,  and  I  saw  one  cross  himself 
reverently,  after  the  manner  of  the  country. 

I  asked  him  why  he  did  this,  and  he  replied 
"  Because,  senor,  there  are  many  dead  here 

"  How  so?  "  I  asked. 

"  The  Needles,"  he  said.  "  Don't  you  know 
about  them?  " 

"  No,  tell  me." 

177 


5 
9> 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

"  They  are  sunken  rocks,  with  long,  sharp 
points,  out  here  for  miles  northward  of  Eagle 
Point;  but  they  just  show  their  tips  above 
water.     Wait  and  you  will  see." 

A  few  moments  later  there  was  slight  dis- 
turbance in  the  water,  and  a  wave  curled  up  and 
foamed  over. 

"  That  is  one,"  he  said,  "  but  it  seldom  shows 
itself.     There  are  others  further  on." 

Presently  he  pointed  and  said,  "  Look  there." 
I  saw  a  ripple  of  foam  circling  around  a  wave, 
then  suddenly  a  number  of  long  black  points 
seemed  to  rise  up  out  of  the  water  and  stealthily 
disappeared  again. 

Then  a  wave  curled  up  where  they  had  been 
and  the  water  was  all  quiet  once  more;  then 
they  rose  up  again,  as  if  to  menace  the  ship, 
and  then  mysteriously  disappeared.  A  bit  of 
foam  marked  the  spot  for  one  instant,  and  the 
sea  was  calm,  without  even  a  sign  that  there  was 
danger.  So  far  as  I  could  see  toward  the  north, 
there  were  points  in  the  ocean  where  the  waves 
rose  up  at  times,  and  foamed  over,  making  a 
truly  dangerous  place.  A  relieved  look  in  the 
faces  of  the  crew  told  me  when  the  danger 
was  past,  and  then  in  about  half  an  hour  we 

178 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

rounded  Eagle  Point  and  were  coasting  along 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Darien. 

That  night  we  anchored,  for  fear  of  collision 
with  drifting  logs,  and,  after  the  relief  of  a 
quiet  night,  made  an  early  start,  the  captain 
hoping  to  get  his  boat  over  the  bar  at  one  of 
the  numerous  mouths  of  the  delta  of  the  Atrato 
River  before  the  tide  ran  down,  though  the  rise 
and  fall  was  insignificant.  As  we  approached 
the  land,  a  scene  of  desolation  unfolded  itself 
to  our  view.  In  this  country  it  rains  so  fre- 
quently that  it  is  always  expected,  and  now 
a  steady  downpour  came  falling  with  disconso- 
late persistence  from  the  leaden  skies  of  the 
morning.  Then  we  ran  close  to  a  swampy  shore, 
where  plants  struggled  against  the  encroaching 
waters,  and  dead  trees  stood  gaunt  like  skeletons. 

From  among  the  uncertain  growth  a  flood 
of  yellow  water  came  pouring,  and  the  next 
instant  we  bumped  up  against  the  bar,  slid  over 
it,  and  were  in  one  of  the  outlets  of  the  delta 
of  the  Atrato,  and  then  we  made  our  way  cau- 
tiously toward  the  main  river.  Presently  we 
reached  it,  and  the  sweeping  torrent  was  a  fit- 
ting demonstration  of  the  volume  of  water  which 
can  accumulate  in  a  country  where  a  clear  day 

179 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

is  rare,  and  the  sun  is  considered  worthy  of 
remark  when  its  rays  penetrate  the  ever-threat- 
ening clouds. 

Progress  was  slow  against  such  a  heavy  cur- 
rent, the  little  steamer  made  frequent  stops  to 
take  on  wood,  and  we  always  tied  up  for  the 
night.  Frequently,  while  taking  wood,  the  men 
uncovered  snakes,  scorpions,  tarantulas,  and 
centipedes;  and  their  possible  presence  in  the 
wood  taken  on  board  was  a  constant  danger, 
yet  the  men  gave  little  heed.  They  were  careful 
not  to  touch  a  snake,  but  had  little  regard  for 
the  poisonous  insects,  though  they  were  some- 
what cautious  if  tarantulas  were  about;  but 
scorpions  and  centipedes  were  scarcely  noticed. 
At  one  wood-pile  the  men  called  me  to  see  a 
black,  or  crab-scorpion,  as  they  called  it,  which 
was,  they  said,  as  dangerous  as  any  snake.  It 
was  a  strong,  illy-proportioned  insect;  the  claws 
and  body  were  heavy  and  broad,  while  the  tail 
was  short  and  stubby,  looking  strangely  out  of 
proportion.  I  held  it  down  with  the  point  of 
my  machete,  and  it  began  to  rain  blows  on  the 
blade  with  its  sting  till  the  steel  resounded  from 
the  attack.  Then  I  crushed  the  ugly  thing,  and 
found  it  was  incased  in  a  shell,  hard  almost  like 

180 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

that  of  a  crab,  though  the  ordinary  scorpion  is 
soft,  with  scarcely  any  protection.  The  men 
said  that  these  crab-scorpions  were  rare,  and 
sometimes  years  would  pass  without  one  being 
seen ;  which  was  fortunate,  for  otherwise  it 
would  be  a  dangerous  matter  to  handle  wood 
and  produce  in  that  country. 

Our  progress  was  slow,  and  there  was  little 
to  attract  one's  attention  in  the  monotonous 
series  of  mud-banks,  swamps,  and  jungles. 
After  a  few  days'  travelling,  higher  ground 
appeared,  and  a  little  further  on  we  came  to 
a  forlorn-looking  city  called  Quibdo;  a  little 
town  where  the  native  gold-washers  come  to  sell 
their  product,  and  a  few  merchants  do  a  thriv- 
ing business,  trading  goods  for  gold-dust. 
From  here  I  took  a  canoe  two  days  up  the  river, 
and  established  headquarters  at  a  village  called 
Lloro,  and,  on  arriving,  engaged  two  faithful 
guides,  strong,  daring  men,  who  promised  to 
go  with  me  anywhere  I  might  desire.  Soon  I 
learned  that  their  word  was  good,  and  that  they 
were  ready  to  go  wherever  I  might  direct,  and 
as  to  my  money,  I  never  gave  a  thought  for 
its  care,  and  didn't  lose  a  cent. 

Yet   these   splendid   specimens   of  men   were 

181 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

denounced  and  excommunicated  by  the  Church, 
and  the  elder  said,  when  I  employed  him, 
"  There  is  only  one  thing :  if  we  meet  a  priest, 
we  must  run  and  hide  till  he  has  gone." 

They  readily  consented  to  tell  me  how  this 
was.  For  a  long  time  in  that  country  there  had 
been  no  priests,  but  one  day  a  number  came  to 
establish  a  mission,  and  within  a  few  months 
had  gotten  themselves  thoroughly  hated.  The 
people  had  customs  of  their  own  which  the 
priests  immediately  condemned,  perhaps  not 
without  reason.  One  such  custom  was  a  civil 
marriage,  or  contract  before  witnesses,  which 
had  been  considered  sufficient.  The  priests  said 
this  was  a  sin  of  heresy  and  a  direct  crime 
against  ecclesiastical  law;  and  ordered  all  peo- 
ple to  appear  before  them  at  once,  that  they 
might  perform  the  religious  ceremony  accord- 
ing to  the  rites  of  the  Church.  The  people  were 
quite  willing,  as  they  did  not  wish  to  do  wrong ; 
but  when  they  were  informed  that  each  man  on 
his  marriage  would  have  to  pay  sixteen  dollars 
they  began  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the  priests ; 
and  some  people  said  openly  that  all  the  priests 
wanted  was  the  sixteen  dollars.     Many  of  the 


182 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

people  did  not  have  the  money,  and  this  brought 
on  the  trouble. 

My  two  men  had  not  been  married  in  the 
Church,  and  considered  themselves,  their  wives, 
and  their  families  entirely  respectable,  as  their 
mothers  and  fathers  had  been  before  them;  and 
the  remarkable  spectacle  was  presented  of  priests 
as  persecutors,  not  as  friends  and  counsellors, 
but  as  men  trying  to  use  the  force  at  their 
command  to  secure  an  end.  The  people  did 
not  object  to  the  end,  only  to  the  price,  which 
some  of  them  did  not  have,  and  they  naturally 
inferred  that  it  was  the  price,  and  not  the  end, 
that  the  priest  was  seeking;  because,  where 
the  money  was  not  forthcoming,  arrests  fol- 
lowed with  beating,  or  other  punishment,  even 
though  the  man  was  quite  wilhng  to  be  married 
according  to  the  ecclesiastical  law. 

No  doubt  it  was  all  a  mistake.  When  a  man 
said  he  had  not  the  money  and  could  not  do 
as  the  priest  advised,  the  priest  probably  thought 
he  refused  the  rites  of  the  Church,  and  when 
the  priest  spoke  of  a  reasonable  charge  for  the 
ceremony,  the  people,  not  being  accustomed  to 
ministrations  from  the  Church,  thought  the  re- 
quirement was  for  the  money  only,  misunder- 

18S 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

standings  and  contention  resulting.  The  only 
inconvenience  that  I  suffered  was  because  of  my 
mackintosh,  which  the  people  took  for  a  priestly 
garment,  and  on  my  arrival  at  a  village  where 
I  was  not  known,  many  of  the  people  took  to 
the  woods,  and  valuable  time  was  lost  before 
they  could  be  persuaded  to  return. 


184 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    WILDERNESS    OF    THE    CHOCO    COUNTEY 

From  Lloro  I  started  on  a  series  of  explora- 
tions, and  with  my  two  faithful  guides  I  trav- 
elled for  miles  among  the  lowlands  and  moun- 
tains of  the  Choco  country,  a  region  some  three 
hundred  miles  south  of  Panama.  Many  days 
were  spent  in  long  canoe  voyages  up  strange 
rivers,  where  torrents  of  water  went  crowding 
and  chafing  along  against  their  wooded  banks. 
It  rained  frequently,  but  many  days  were  clear, 
and,  secure  with  faithful  guides  in  an  unknown 
country  of  strange  uncertainties,  I  thoroughly 
enjoyed   my   explorations. 

Frequently  we  met  other  parties  in  canoes, 
who  were  all  curiosity  to  learn  about  my  affairs 
and  the  object  of  my  visit. 

My  men  always  answered  that  they  did  not 
know,  usually  replying,  "  He's  a  stranger,  go- 

185 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

ing  here  and  stopping  there,  just  as  he  fancies, 
travelling  like  a  crazy  man ;  perhaps  he  is  one." 
Whether  they  thought  it  policy  not  to  tell  of 
my  examinations  in  regard  to  the  gold  deposits 
of  that  country,  or  whether  they  really  thought 
I  was  not  of  sound  mind,  I  do  not  know,  but 
their  peculiar  care  of  me  was  perhaps  suggest- 
ive. 

Once  when  we  were  on  one  of  the  smaller 
rivers,  my  chief  guide,  Profanio,  called  my 
attention  to  the  trunk  of  a  great  tree  which  had 
fallen  high  above  our  heads  across  a  ravine. 
It  was  worn  smooth  by  the  feet  of  animals  that 
made  it  their  regular  track  between  the  hills, 
and  I  was  told  that  here,  any  night,  wildcats, 
panthers,  and  jaguars  could  be  shot  as  they 
passed  across  the  log.  It  seemed  a  pity  that  I 
could  not  stay  to  have  a  shot  at  them,  but 
I  had  come  for  other  things,  and  left  the  place 
behind  me  with  some  regret. 

That  same  night  we  camped  well  up  the  river, 
having  forced  the  canoe  as  far  as  it  would  go. 
We  had  to  contend  for  our  camp,  a  rude  hut 
built  in  the  woods,  with  a  swarm  of  red  ants, 
and  after  considerable  trouble  got  the  place  free 
of  them. 

186 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Then  we  fixed  our  beds  and  were  soon  enjoy- 
ing a  thorough  rest.  I  was  just  dozing  off 
when  I  was  awakened  by  a  strange  noise  in  the 
woods,  something  like  the  vibrations  of  a  cord 
against  a  drumhead  mingled  with  a  hissing 
sound,  at  times  almost  a  deep  whistle. 

Then  I  heard  an  old  man  who  was  with  us 
say,  "  Companions,  did  you  hear  that?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Prof  anio,  in  a  sleepy  voice,  "  it 
isn't  coming  here." 

"  Don't  be  too  sure.    Hark,  there  it  is  again." 

"  I'm  not  afraid,"  was  the  answer,  but  I  no- 
ticed that  Profanio  was  sitting  up,  looking  anx- 
iously in  the  direction  of  the  sound. 

"  Is  the  boat  where  we  can  make  it  away 
easily  ?  "  said  the  old  man,  getting  up. 

"  Keep  still,"  said  Profanio,  "  or  you  will 
have  it  after  us." 

"  Better  see  that  the  Senor  is  awake,  and 
ready,  if  we  have  to  go." 

Profanio  got  up  softly  and  said  to  me,  "  We 
may  have  to  run  for  the  boat  if  it  comes  nearer. 
Are  you  ready  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  rephed;   "  what  is  it?  " 

"  A  barabosa,  don't  talk,"  and  he  went  softly 
to  his  place. 

187 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

For  a  few  minutes  we  heard  that  strange 
sound  a  little  distance  from  the  camp,  and  then 
it  began  to  go  further  away,  and  finally  it  was 
lost  in  the  distance. 

"  It's  gone ;  I  knew  it  wasn't  coming,"  said 
Profanio,  though  I  could  tell  by  his  voice  that 
he  was  glad  of  it. 

"  It  was  only  for  the  Senor,"  said  the  old 
man ;    "  he  did  not  know  what  to  do." 

Then  I  sat  up  in  my  hammock  and  said, 
"  Profanio,  what  is  a  barabosa  ?  " 

"  A  big  snake  as  large  around  as  my  arm," 
answered  the  older  guide. 

"Is  that  all?"  I  said. 

"  Yes  —  and  it  is  enough.  The  bite  is  so  bad 
that  none  of  our  remedies  can  cure  it;  and  if 
it  meets  a  party  in  the  woods  it  will  come  and 
fight  and  certainly  bite  some  one  before  it  is 
killed.  It  is  like  a  rattlesnake  more  than  any 
other,  but  has  a  horn  where  it  ought  to  have 
rattles.  When  they  threaten  to  come  into  camp, 
we  usually  take  to  the  canoes,  but  to-night  it 
was  not  angry  and  did  not  come." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  when  I  heard  the 
two  men  sleeping  soundly,  and  after  listening 
for  awhile  to  all  the  strange,  murmuring  sounds 

188 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

of  the  deep  woods,  I  fell  asleep  myself,  and 
forgot  that  there  was  any  such  thing  as  a 
barabosa,  and  even  now  I  am  rather  doubtful 
about  it. 

Another  day,  while  we  were  going  up  a  larger 
river,  the  men  began  telling  me  of  great  mon- 
sters, living  in  a  black  hole  where  the  water  was 
so  deep  that  no  one  knew  how  far  away  the 
bottom  was.  Both  of  the  men  insisted  that  it 
was  true,  and  said  that  the  animal  had  been 
seen,  and  at  times  they  caught  smaller  specimens. 
They  said  that  to  fall  into  the  water  where  the 
big  ones  were  living  was  sure  death,  and  that 
several  people  had  been  killed  by  them. 

They  called  the  animal  the  quicharo,  and 
said  that  it  was  neither  fish  nor  alligator;  that 
they  were  found  from  two  to  even  twenty  feet 
long,  and  were  remarkable  principally  for  a 
great  oval-shaped  head  and  rounded  jaws  set 
with  enormous  teeth.  That  in  place  of  feet  it 
had  two  flippers;  that  the  widest  part  was  just 
back  of  the  head,  and  that  the  body  tapered 
abruptly  to  the  tail,  which  was  not  especially 
prominent.  All  the  upper  part  of  the  body, 
they  stated,  was  covered  with  rough  plates,  that 
gave  it  the  appearance  of  a  great  brown  log 

189 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

when  on  rare  occasions  it  was  seen  floating  on 
the  surface  of  the  water.  The  smaller  speci- 
mens, they  said,  were  good  to  eat,  but  that  after 
the  plates  grew  the  animal  was  all  soft  inside, 
and  went  to  water  or  soft  pulpy  material  after 
being  caught. 

Presently  we  came  to  the  point  where  the 
biggest  quicharos  were  said  to  live.  It  was  a 
strange,  mysterious-looking  place,  a  great, 
round  pool  of  dark  water  surrounded  by  rocks, 
with  rapids  just  above  it. 

I  looked  over  the  side  of  the  canoe  and  won- 
dered what  might  be  the  real  basis  of  their  be- 
lief in  this  strange  animal ;  no  doubt  something, 
but  probably  not  at  all  as  described.  I  was 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  light  of  modern  sci- 
ence, and  here  the  people  still  believed  in  their 
fancied  creations,  and  to  them  the  world  is  still 
peopled  with  monsters ;  a  mystery  must  take 
some  form  of  expression,  and  is  gradually  built 
up  into  a  figure,  perhaps  the  exaggeration  of 
some  well-known  species. 

I  made  a  great  many  small  inquiries  about 
this  quicharo,  and  everybody  seemed  to  know  of 
it,  and  in  general  the  descriptions  all  agreed 
with  the  outlines  as  given;    and  it  may  be  that 

190 


^4^ 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

in  the  deep  pools  of  water,  to  the  south  of  the 
swamps  of  the  Darien  region,  a  fish  something 
like  the  sturgeon  attains  great  size.  The  water 
is  cool  and  fresh,  and  there  is  certainly  room 
for  such  development,  as  the  rivers  in  most 
places  are  very  deep. 

We  were  on  our  way  to  visit  some  of  the  In- 
dians, and  shortly  after  leaving  the  deep  pool 
in  which  the  quicharos  are  supposed  to  live,  we 
came  to  a  collection  of  round  houses  built  on 
long  posts,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  Choco 
Indians. 

We  found  the  place  empty,  which  was  a  dis- 
appointment, as  the  houses  appeared  to  belong 
to  Indians  of  the  better  sort.  We  went  on  fur- 
ther up  the  river  and  presently  came  to  other 
houses.  These  were  also  empty.  Still  we  went 
on ;  and  turning  up  a  side  river  came  to  a  large 
house,  where  the  Indians  had  all  gathered, 
drinking  guarapo,  that  is,  fermented  sugar- 
cane juice.  The  men  were  in  all  stages  of  in- 
toxication, but,  as  my  guides  were  well  known 
to  them,  we  received  a  welcome,  and  my  first 
acquaintance  with  the  Choco  Indians  began. 
They  were  a  handsome  people  of  a  rather  gentle 
appearance,   using  little   clothing,   their  bodies 

191 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

painted  with  lines  representing  various  devices; 
their  hair  arranged  in  a  cue,  a  small  bunch  of 
flowers,  sweet-smelling  gums,  barks,  or  leaves 
tied  in  the  end.  These  they  sniffed  at  fre- 
quently, putting  the  end  of  the  cue  to  their 
nostrils,  and  seemed  to  thoroughly  enjoy  it. 

It  was  raining  when  we  came  up,  and  I  must 
admit  that  I  was  rather  dirty,  while  my  face, 
between  hot  sun  and  alternate  rains  and  fogs, 
was  burnt  and  blistered  to  all  sorts  of  colours, 
and  I  was  just  considering  whether  it  would 
be  better  to  do  something  to  improve  my  ap- 
pearance, and,  by  braving  the  rain,  make  my- 
self partially  clean  and  all  wet,  or  to  remain 
all  dirty  and  partially  dry,  when  the  Indians 
began  gathering  around  me. 

Presently  an  old  chief  said,  "  I  hope  you 
don't  mind  that  we  look  at  you,  Senor." 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  I ;  "  why  do  you  want 
to  look  at  me?  " 

''  Because  we  never  saw  a  man  like  you,"  the 
chief  replied,  and  the  others  grunted  an  assent. 

"  But  there  have  been  white  men  through 
here  before,"  I  said. 

''  Yes,  but  never  like  you ;  you  are  perfectly 
beautiful,"  answered  the  chief. 

192 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Now  an  Indian  says  exactly  what  he  means 
and  means  what  he  says,  and  I  began  to  wish  I 
had  taken  to  the  river  to  make  myself  a  little 
more  presentable,  in  spite  of  the  rain. 

Then  the  chief  said,  very  respectfully,  *'  You 
would  perhaps  tell  us  one  thing,  just  one  ques- 
tion." 

*'  Certainly,"  I  said,  with  pride,  "  what  is 
it.?  " 

"  Do  you  paint,  or  is  the  colour  real  ?  " 

"What  colour.?"   I  asked. 

"  Why,  your  nose,  Senor ;  it  is  perfectly 
grand ;  we  never  saw  such  a  colour  on  any  man 
before." 

I  looked  the  other  way,  and  then  went  out 
to  see  how  hard  it  was  raining,  fully  convinced 
that  an  Indian  is  a  fool  by  nature,  and  that 
nothing  can  make  him  different. 

The  next  day  I  determined  to  go  further  up 
the  river,  the  Mombaramombarado,  by  which 
we  were  stopping,  and  make  a  general  examina- 
tion as  I  went.  I  told  my  man,  Profanio,  what 
I  wanted. 

"  Rather  dangerous,"  he  said ;  "  you  had  bet- 
ter not  try  it ;  but,  if  you  wish  it,  I  am  ready." 

"  I  do  wish  it,"  I  said. 

193 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

"  Then  I  will  fix  the  boat  at  once.  We  can 
take  one  of  the  Indians,  and  when  he  says  it 
is  time  to  come  back,  we  must." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  leave  that  to  you,  but  I 
wish  to  go  as  far  as  possible,"  I  answered. 
Without  any  more  words  we  started.  The  river 
certainly  was  rough,  and  a  number  of  times  I 
thought  we  had  reached  the  limit,  but  still  we 
pushed  on;  frequently  the  Indian  hesitated, 
but  Profanio  urged  him  on,  till  at  last  the  In- 
dian, pointing  to  a  black  cloud  up  the  river, 
said,  "  Rain,  flood.  No  more !  Back !  Quick, 
too ! "  We  went  around  in  an  instant,  and 
sweeping  down  with  an  ever-increasing  current. 
The  river  rose  alarmingly,  and  the  roaring  of 
the  rapids  was  constantly  increasing. 

The  Indian  said,  "  We  will  get  below  the 
big  rapids  before  the  flood  is  high,  and  we  will 
be  — "  but  just  then  the  pole  held  by  Pro- 
fanio was  caught  between  two  sunken  rocks, 
while  he  was  pushing  the  boat  over  to  a  smoother 
place  in  order  to  avoid  a  dangerous  rapid.  The 
force  of  the  current  was  such,  as  the  boat 
jammed  against  the  pole,  that  Profanio  turned 
a  somersault  over  into  the  deepest  rapid,  and 
the  Indian  went  head  over  heels  backward.    The 

194 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

canoe  gave  a  great  lurch,  filled  with  water,  and 
almost  turned  over,  and  then,  sinking  like  a 
water-logged  timber,  swung  around  and  started 
on  a  mad  rush  down  the  rapids,  I  clinging  to 
my  seat  keeping  the  canoe  right  side  up,  though 
it  was  entirely  under  water.  Another  instant 
and  I  would  have  been  swept  into  the  heaviest 
rapids,  but  just  then  a  large,  black  hand  rose 
out  of  the  boiling  water,  a  second  it  struggled, 
partially  sank,  the  muscles  tightened  in  a  final 
effort,  and  my  man's  head  rose  out  of  the  water. 
He  caught  the  side  of  the  boat  and  then,  with 
an  exhibition  of  muscular  strength  and  skill 
in  swimming  which  could  scarcely  be  excelled, 
he  kept  the  boat  in  position,  though  it  was 
under  water,  and  actually  guided  it  safely  down 
all  that  fierce  rapid,  and  brought  it  into  a  quiet 
place,  where  I  scrambled  out  on  the  rocks,  say- 
ing, "  Well,  you  are  the  greatest  swimmer  I 
ever  saw." 

"  Yes,  perhaps,"  he  said,  "  but  you  sat  still, 
and  so  it  was  easy  enough."  I  really  sat  still 
because  I  was  about  paralyzed  with  fright ;  but 
I  didn't  say  anything.  There  was  no  reason 
why  I  should  tell  him,  anyway.  The  Indian 
had  saved  himself,  and,  righting  the  canoe,  we 

195 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

went  on  down  the  river,  reached  the  Indian 
houses  without  further  trouble,  though  by  this 
time  the  water  was  well  up.  I  had  lost  some 
valuable  instruments,  but  had  reason  to  be  thank- 
ful that  I  came  out  of  the  accident  alive. 

We  did  not  stop  for  the  night  with  the  In- 
dians, but  taking  our  big  canoe,  we  were  soon 
flying  down  the  River  Mombarampmbarado,  and 
out  into  the  Capa  River,  and  on  down  to  a  Span- 
iard's house,  where  we  stopped  for  the  night. 

I  visited  a  number  of  places  in  the  Choco 
country,  accompanied  by  my  faithful  guides, 
but  there  were  no  further  adventures,  and  a 
little  later  I  left  their  country,  going  out  by 
way  of  the  Pacific. 


196 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A  CANOE  ROUTE  FROM  THE  CARIBBEAN  TO  THE 
PACIFIC 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  in  West- 
ern Colombia  there  is  an  almost  continuous 
waterway  available  for  canoe  traffic  from  the 
Caribbean  to  the  Pacific.  The  route  is  from 
the  Gulf  of  Darien  up  the  Atrato  River  to  the 
Quito  River,  up  the  Quito  to  its  headwaters,  in 
a  series  of  swamps  and  wet  places,  where  a 
canoe  can  be  forced  across  in  rainy  weather,  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  San  Pablo  River,  down  the 
San  Pablo  to  the  San  Juan  River,  and  thence 
via  the  San  Juan  to  the  Pacific.  This  route 
is  not  alwa3^s  open,  and  on  reaching  the  head- 
waters of  the  Quito  a  short  portage  is  generally 
made  to  the  San  Juan  River. 

After  my  examinations  in  the  Choco  country, 
I  travelled  toward  the  Pacific,  crossing  the  upper 

197 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

divide,  where  the  mountains  are  higher  than 
those  at  the  Quito  portage,  and  I  was  some 
hours  on  the  trail. 

While  going  through  the  woods,  one  of  my 
men  suddenly  cried  out  in  pain,  and  said  that 
he  had  been  stung  by  a  congo-ant.  His  arm 
swelled  up  and  appeared  very  painful  for  some 
hours,  and  he  told  me  that  the  sting  of  these 
ants  was  as  bad  and  often  as  dangerous  as  a 
sting  from  a  large  scorpion.  As  we  went 
through  the  woods,  I  had  every  opportunity 
of  examining  these  ugly  fellows,  which  are 
really  wingless  wasps. 

They  are  black,  about  one  to  two  inches  long, 
with  jaws  like  ordinary  ants,  and  with  these 
they  take  hold  on  the  flesh,  and  then  begin  a 
regular  thrashing  with  a  long,  sharp  sting 
placed  like  that  of  a  wasp,  using  it  so  vigor- 
ously that  many  ugly  wounds  are  inflicted  be- 
fore they  can  be  killed;  at  other  times  they 
keep  up  a  running  fire,  going  rapidly  from 
place  to  place,  and  doing  damage  all  the  time 
without   stopping  to   take  hold. 

They  have  a  bad  temper,  and  no  sooner  are 
the  trees  or  bushes  disturbed  where  they  are 
living    than    they    come    swarming    along    the 

198 


!)ANTA  W4^     y w^ 

Caribbean  5ea 

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t-^'^W   ^ 

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Canoe  Route        y^ 

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TO  THE                    (?'"^ 

y7  ^.^  X     ^*^     < 

Pacific.             u-^ 
/  3> 

PACIFIC    /^W*; 

OCEAN      C&l^* 

Jhnof 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

twigs  as  mad  as  hornets,  to  get  at  whatever  or 
whoever  had  stirred  them  up.  For  this  habit 
they  are  much  dreaded,  and  there  are  places 
where  it  is  said  one  cannot  go  in  the  woods  with- 
out being  stung. 

There  is  a  smaller  red  ant  reported  in  this 
country,  called  the  castinette,  which  is  said  to 
sting  harder  and  inflict  more  serious  wounds 
than  the  congo-ants;  but  I  have  never  seen 
them  and  cannot  say  for  myself. 

We  were  delayed  some  time  attending  the  man 
who  had  been  stung,  and  were  late  reaching  the 
canoe  on  the  San  Juan,  or  rather  on  a  stream 
leading  to  the  San  Juan,  and  we  could  not 
finish  our  day's  journey,  but  slept  at  a  little 
village  called  Carmela,  and  early  next  morning 
started  on  our  way  again.  The  upper  part  of 
this  river  is  always  dangerous.  It  passes  with 
great  velocity  through  a  narrow  gorge,  and 
the  tumult  of  the  waters  is  appalling,  not  a 
tumult  of  waves  and  breakers,  for  the  channel 
is  of  unknown  depth,  but  a  tumult  of  deep, 
ominous  sounds  as  the  canoe  goes  sweeping  on 
among  the  rocks.  Great  upheavals  of  water  rise 
and  fall;  at  times  a  mass  of  water,  crowded 
to  the  surface  in  the  narrow  gorge,  will  pour 

199 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

itself  out  over  the  water  with  frightful  violence ; 
at  other  points  whirlpools  are  formed,  and  the 
surface  of  the  river  is  constantly  changing,  but 
not  the  change  of  tumbling  waters  passing  rap- 
idly down  a  steep  incline.  The  channel  of  the 
San  Juan  is  almost  at  the  sea-level,  and  but 
little  inclined;  the  masses  of  water  crowd  for- 
ward as  if  impelled  by  a  great  force,  a  pressing 
onward  rather  than  a  falling. 

As  our  canoe  went  sweeping  on  over  these 
treacherous  waters,  we  would  at  times  feel  a 
tremor  run  through  it  like  a  human  shudder; 
then,  forcing  itself  up  all  around  us,  would 
come  a  great  upheaval  of  water,  threatening  to 
throw  the  canoe  over  into  the  seething  mass. 
The  men  told  me  that  once  in  that  water  there 
was  no  chance  for  escape,  that  one  would  cer- 
tainly be  sucked  under,  never  to  be  seen  again ^ 
or  else  would  be  beaten  to  death  by  the  force 
of  the  waves.  Once,  as  we  were  passing  over  a 
comparatively  quiet  place,  a  sudden  commotion 
of  water  rose  around  us,  and  for  a  time  the 
waves  threatened  to  wreck  the  canoe,  but  skilful 
handling  by  the  men  saved  it,  and  we  escaped 
with  a  wetting  and  a  severe  fright.  At  such 
a  time  one  could  hardly  help  being  overawed 

^00 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

in  the  presence  of  a  mighty  force  so  near  that 
one  could  feel  its  every  tremor. 

We  arrived  at  San  Pablo  without  incident, 
and  I  at  once  began  looking  for  an  opportunity 
to  go  to  the  Pacific.  I  found  little  prospect 
of  starting,  and  secured  a  room,  where  I  made 
preparations  to  stay  for  a  few  days.  That 
night  I  prepared  for  bed,  hoping  that  place 
was  clean,  but  inwardly  mistrusting  my  sur- 
roundings. I  took  my  pistol  and  placed  it 
within  easy  reach,  and  then  lay  down.  How 
often  I  have  done  this  in  a  strange  place,  and 
then  gone  quietly  to  sleep,  not  knowing  when 
I  might  be  awakened  by  some  approaching  dan- 
ger. I  have  become  so  used  to  my  pistol  that 
sometimes  even  when  at  home  I  take  it  to  bed 
with  me  just  for  companion's  sake. 

That  night  nothing  happened,  that  is,  not 
that  I  was  conscious  of;  but  in  the  morning  I 
found  myself  covered  with  numerous  red  marks 
about  two  millimetres  in  diameter.  They  were 
filled  with  blood  and  watery  matter  and  itched 
and  burned  considerably.  It  was  my  first  ex- 
perience with  chinch-bugs.  They  are  abundant 
in  the  Choco  country,  but  I  had  never  felt  them 
till  now.    I  had  a  full  allowance  and  found  them 

201 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

troublesome  enough,  fortunately  nothing  more. 
The  bites  of  the  chinch-bug  are  sometimes  really 
serious,  and  frequently  they  inflame  to  ugly 
running  sores,  from  which  blood-poisoning  has 
resulted. 

The  chinch-bug  looks  like  an  exaggerated 
edition  of  the  well-known  bedbug.  It  lives  very 
much  like  the  northern  insect,  though,  being 
larger  and  stronger,  wanders  about  more  freely. 

A  chinch-bug  lives  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  is  truly  dangerous,  because  it  carries  infec- 
tion from  one  person  to  another,  and  in  a  country 
infested  with  the  most  frightful  skin  diseases, 
with  leprosy,  and  all  the  evils  of  hereditary 
afflictions,  these  chinch-bugs  are  a  terror,  and 
I  have  more  fear  of  them  than  any  of  the  other 
dangers  with  which  a  traveller  in  the  tropics 
must  contend. 

Between  the  annoyance  of  the  chinch-bugs' 
bites  and  the  prospect  of  some  days'  delay,  I 
was  feeling  quite  miserable,  when  I  was  sud- 
denly, most  agreeably,  surprised  at  finding  that 
one  of  the  merchants  of  San  Pablo  had  made 
all  arrangements  for  me,  and  that  I  was  to  start 
at  once  with  a  young  man  who  was  to  take 
charge  of  the  boat.     I  found  him  prompt  and 

202 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

apparently  efficient  in  carrying  out  the  mer- 
chant's directions,  so  I  felt  satisfied  that  I  was 
to  be  in  good  hands.  We  were  soon  ready,  and, 
as  there  was  some  trouble  about  securing  assist- 
ants, the  young  man  said  that  he  would  take 
the  boat  on  alone,  rather  than  delay  any  fur- 
ther, and  find  men  along  the  river.  This 
sounded  like  good  business,  and  off  we  went. 

A  short  distance  below  San  Pablo  we  came 
to  a  group  of  houses.  The  young  captain  of  the 
canoe  hurried  on  shore,  as  I  thought,  to  look 
for  men;  but,  to  my  surprise,  he  went  to  the 
door  of  the  nearest  house,  dropped  on  his  knees, 
and  began  to  pray  in  a  loud  voice,  reciting  in 
a  singsong  manner  some  form  of  litany,  peti- 
tioning for  blessings,  to  which  the  women  of  the 
house  responded,  looking  on  him  with  great 
respect.  He  went  to  all  the  houses  and  did  the 
same  thing,  then  he  hurried  back  to  the  canoe, 
looking  very  important,  started  across  the  river 
to  three  other  houses,  and  went  through  the 
praying  exhibition   again. 

This  took  time,  and  when  he  started  for  the 
next  group  of  houses  I  protested;  he  paid  no 
attention,  however,  but  went  through  his  pray- 
ers  with  great  vigour,  and,  returning  to  the 

203 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

canoe,  gave  me  a  look  of  mingled  pity  and  de- 
fiance, and  Immediately  started  the  canoe  toward 
a  group  of  houses  further  down  the  river,  look- 
ing at  them  eagerly  as  he  plied  the  paddle. 

I  told  him  that  I  would  have  no  more  praying, 
and,  if  he  did  it  again,  I  would  send  him  back 
to  the  merchant,  and  he  knew  what  the  result 
would  be. 

He  seemed  grieved,  but  I  explained  that  I  was 
in  a  great  hurry  and  could  not  give  him  the  time. 

He  said  nothing,  but,  taking  the  boat  close  to 
shore,  shouted  to  the  people,  "  I  can't  come  to 
pray  blessings  for  you;  the  patron  is  not  a 
Christian,  and  won't  allow  it." 

A  little  farther  down  we  stopped  at  a  house 
where  my  man  said  he  would  look  for  compan- 
ions. The  women  were  at  home,  and  I  am  sorry 
to  say  they  were  drunk,  and,  worse  yet,  my  man 
spouted  his  prayers  and  immediately  started  in 
to  drink  from  a  plentiful  supply  of  rum. 

It  was  raining  hard,  but  then  it  always  rains 
in  this  country,  and  I  was  determined  to  push 
on ;  so  I  took  the  rum  away  from  him  by  force, 
and  ordered  him  out  to  look  for  men.  He  went 
somewhat  reluctantly,  but  I  managed  to  hurry 
him  up  a  little  by  showing  him  my  pistol,  and 

204 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

asking  if  he  knew  what  it  was  for.  He  went 
along  then,  and  presently  came  back  with  some 
young  men  who  proved  to  be  his  brothers,  and 
then  the  united  families  became  solicitous  that 
I  should  stay  all  night,  in  fact,  so  anxious  and  so 
curious  about  my  things  that  I  was  satisfied  that 
it  would  be  better  to  start  at  once  and  save 
losses;  so  after  considerable  force  and  persua- 
sion, I  prevailed  on  the  men  to  start  that  after- 
noon, though  the  females  were  lamenting  over 
the  loss  of  expected  presents. 

We  got  along  well  enough  after  this,  and  at 
nightfall  stopped  to  sleep  at  a  group  of  houses ; 
here  the  young  man  said  a  lot  of  prayers  and 
appeared  contented.  Making  the  best  of  a  bad 
thing,  I  got  a  table  to  sleep  on,  while  my  men 
amused  themselves  talking  with  a  number  of 
canoe-owners,  who,  in  going  up  or  down  the 
river,  had  all  stopped  here  for  the  night. 

I  caught  more  chinch-bugs  while  I  slept,  and, 
as  they  were  making  me  very  uncomfortable, 
especially  toward  morning,  I  got  the  men  up 
and  made  them  go  on. 

By  noon  we  had  reached  still  water,  and  then 
the  men  lay  back  on  their  seats  and  began  lazily 
to  go  to  sleep.     I  angrily  ordered  them  to  go 

205 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

on,  but  they  paid  no  attention,  and  presently 
told  me  that  they  proposed  to  drift  with  the 
current,  and  we  would  go  down  the  river  after  a 
time.  Words  seemed  useless,  and  it  would  not 
have  done  any  good  to  have  killed  them,  for 
then  I  would  have  been  worse  oiF.  I  threatened 
for  a  time,  and  they  began  to  paddle,  but  not 
for  long;  and  presently  my  praying  servant 
said,  coolly,  "  If  you  will  pay  us  more,  we  will 
work  and  take  you  to  Buenaventara  in  good 
time.  How  much  more  will  you  add  to  our 
pay?"       , 

"  A  forty-four  of  good  lead,"  I  replied,  "  if 
you  are  not  careful." 

They  worked  a  little  after  that,  but  we  made 
poor  progress,  and  at  times  scarcely  moved  at 
all.  It  was  most  uncomfortable,  and  if  I  hap- 
pened to  want  anything,  the  first  words  were, 
"  How  much  are  you  going  to  advance  the  pay 
if  I  do  it?" 

In  this  way  we  went  on  till  one  afternoon  I 
noticed  that  the  boat  stood  still,  and  then  began 
to  move  backward.  I  called  to  the  men,  who 
were  sleeping  on  their  paddles.  They  looked 
at  me  and  then  at  the  water  and  said,  "  The  tide 
is  rising;   we  have  reached  the  sea." 

206 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  was  delighted,  thinking  that  I  was  near  the 
end  of  my  journey,  but  I  was  mistaken;  we 
turned  up  a  river  called  the  Colima,  where  we 
slept  for  a  part  of  the  night,  and  then  pushed 
on  to  a  brook  called  the  Guineo.  Here  we 
stopped  for  another  night,  and  then  trouble 
began.  The  men  positively  refused  to  go  on, 
fearing  that  when  they  reached  Buenaventara 
they  would  be  taken  and  forced  into  the  army. 
There  was  a  revolution  in  Colombia,  and  nobody 
knew  what  the  outcome  was  to  be.  In  vain  I 
threatened,  even  promising  to  denounce  them 
before  the  Alcalde ;  they  only  replied  it  was  bet- 
ter to  suffer  at  home  than  be  forced  into  the 
army. 

There  were  no  other  men  to  be  found  any- 
where, and  so  I  had  to  give  in  and  offer  them 
increased  pay;  and  to  make  it  more  secure, 
I  bought  each  of  them  permission  from  the  Al- 
calde fo  go  to  Buenaventara  and  return  free 
from  military  service;  and  I  promised  to  give 
them  each  five  silver  dollars  advance  on  their 
wages  if  they  put  me  in  Buenaventara  in  one 
day;  this  they  said  could  be  done  easily,  and 
so,  taking  a  small  canoe  for  the  trip  up  the 
Guineo,  and  hiring  another  man  to  be  sure  that 

207 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

we  could  have  enough  to  carry  my  things  across 
the  divide,  we  started  on. 

The  brook  was  very  low,  and  we  had  difficulty 
making  our  way  around  the  sharp  corners,  under 
fallen  logs,  or  along  the  overhanging  banks. 
It  was  a  wilderness  of  trees,  plants,  and  coarse 
flowers,  a  typical  forest  of  the  tropical  low- 
lands. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  divide,  and  started 
across  it,  not  a  great  distance,  and,  as  I  hired 
some  men  who  happened  that  way  to  take  part 
of  my  things,  we  made  good  time.  We  arrived 
about  two  p.  M.  at  the  hut  where  belated  trav- 
ellers stopped  for  the  night.  Here  a  caretaker 
had  canoes  for  rent,  which  were  needed  for  only 
half  a  day,  and  cost  more  than  is  paid  for  all 
the  route  I  had  just  passed  over ;  but  then  I  had 
to  have  one,  and  the  caretaker  fixed  the  price 
to  suit  the  necessity. 

My  men  wanted  to  stop  for  the  night,  but 
I  reminded  them  that  I  had  agreed  to  pay  each 
five  dollars  extra  provided  they  put  me  in 
Buenaventara  that  day.  They  could  rest,  but 
only  at  their  own  expense. 

They  protested  that  they  were  tired,  that  the 
way  had  been  long  and  hard,  and  many  other 

208 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

things.  I  had  no  sympathy,  so  they  decided  to 
go  on.  I  had  them  this  time,  and  how  they  did 
work  and  curse;  it  was  a  great  satisfaction  to 
see  them,  and  they  could  work  if  they  wanted  to. 
They  were  anxious  about  the  tide.  If  it  were 
favourable,  they  would  not  have  a  very. hard 
time,  but  we  had  not  gone  much  farther  down 
the  stream  when  we  came  to  a  stretch  of  quiet 
water ;  then  the  current  began  to  set  against  us, 
slowly  at  first,  but  with  ever-increasing  strength, 
till  presently,  though  we  were  miles  away  from 
the  ocean,  an  irresistible  flood  of  water  came 
sweeping  up  the  creek,  rising,  rising,  till  a  great 
lake  began  to  form  among  the  trees  around  us. 
The  men  had  to  work  now,  but  I  cared  little 
for  them,  though  I  was  well  anxious  about 
getting  to  Buenaventara  before  night  set  in. 

We  presently  came  out  into  a  broad  sheet  of 
quiet  water  that  looked  black  and  forbidding. 
My  men  told  me  that  it  was  tremendously  deep, 
and  that  once  in  that  water  there  was  no  escape, 
because  of  the  multitudes  of  sharks. 

We  now  began  to  pick  our  way  through  broad 
channels  and  between  islands,  where  mangroves 
and  palm-trees  were  growing  in  abundance. 

The  men  did  well  here,  and  got  through  suc- 

209 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

cessfully  without  losing  the  way.  To  lose  one's 
way  among  those  islands  means  wandering  in  a 
labyrinth  from  which  it  would  be  difficult  to 
escape. 

By  this  time  darkness  was  setting  in,  and  the 
men  said  we  would  stop  for  the  night  at  a  shed 
made  of  leaves  that  was  just  beyond  us. 

I  said  we  would  not,  and  ordered  them  to 
go  on.  They  stopped  paddling  and  considered. 
I  ordered  them  on  a  second  time.  Then  one  of 
them  said,  with  a  curse,  "  Let  us  do  it  now, 
throw  him  out  of  the  boat  and  see  the  sharks 
eat  him,  and  then  do  as  we  please,  and  have  all 
his  things,  too." 

"  And  my  pistol,"  I  said,  "  it  is  ready  at  my 
side  awaiting  for  you." 

He  said  nothing.  "  Now,"  I  said,  "  go  right 
on,  or  the  sharks  will  have  some  dead  meat  pres- 
ently." 

They  went  on,  and  after  a  time  we  came 
within  sight  of  what  appeared  to  be  the  lights 
of  Buenaventara,  but  as  yet  a  long  way  off 
across  the  water. 

Then  we  noticed  that  the  lights  seemed  to  be 
coming  nearer,  and  rapidly,  too.  What  could 
it  mean.?    Then  a  whisper  went  from  one  to  the 

210 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

other  of  my  men,  "  A  military  expedition,  —  if 
they  find  us,  we  are  lost." 

Quick  as  a  thought  the  canoe  was  turned  to 
one  side,  the  men,  working  now  with  all  their 
might,  paddling  for  an  island  that  was  not  far 
away. 

On  came  the  boats  below  us,  the  lights  grow- 
ing brighter,  yet  seeming  to  stand  still  on  the 
dark  water.  We  gained  the  island  and  hid 
under  the  overhanging  branches.  Two  or  three 
boats  went  past  us.  Then  the  men  were  ready 
to  go  on  again,  and  began  paddling  cautiously 
along  the  island.  Presently  we  saw  other  lights, 
and  could  tell  that  the  canoes  were  moving 
about,  and  that  one  was  coming  directly  in 
toward  us. 

"  They  are  searching  the  islands,"  said  one  of 
the  men ;    "  it  is  all  up  with  us." 

Then  they  made  a  dash  over  the  side  of  the 
canoe  for  the  land,  and,  scrambling  up  among 
the  bushes,  disappeared  in  the  thick  underbrush, 
and  I  was  left  alone,  —  truly  a  pleasant  situ- 
ation. 

For  a  time  I  waited,  expecting  every  minute 
to  see  a  light  coming  cautiously  around  the 
corner,  probably  to  be  followed  by  a  volley  from 

ail 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  muskets  of  the  soldiers,  and  a  demand  for 
surrender.  Most  likely  I  would  not  be  hit,  but 
a  searching  party,  expecting  to  meet  an  enemy, 
would,  on  coming  across  a  canoe  hidden  under 
the  trees,  almost  certainly  fire,  and  perhaps  do 
serious  damage. 

I  sat  there  waiting,  intending  to  call  out  that 
I  was  an  American  lost  among  the  islands,  and 
ask  them  for  help,  before  they  could  fire;  but 
it  made  me  feel  anxious,  and,  as  I  sat  there,  I 
wished  heartily  that  whatever  might  be  coming 
tv^ould  come  quickly.  But  it  didn't,  and  after 
waiting  for  a  time  I  called  to  my  men,  and  a 
voice  came  from  the  woods  pleading  that  I  would 
be  quiet,  —  the  soldiers  were  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island,  and  if  I  spoke  would  be  on  us 
in  an  instant.  Then  I  sat  waiting  for  a  few 
minutes,  but  nothing  came,  and  I  called  to  my 
men,  telling  them  to  come  at  once,  and,  if  they 
did  not,  I  would  fire  my  pistol  to  attract  the 
soldiers,  and  when  they  came  I  would  tell  where 
to  look  for  fugitives.  A  groan  from  the  woods 
was  the  only  answer.  "  Come  now,"  I  said, 
taking  out  my  pistol  and  cocking  it,  "  come, 
or  I'll  shoot." 

Then  I  heard  the  men  coming,  and  soon  they 

212 


iM^ 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

were  in  the  boat,  with  wild  looks  of  fear  and 
reproachful  words  for  my  cruelty.  I  ordered 
the  cowards  on,  and  we  soon  left  the  soldiers 
behind  us.  Presently  we  came  to  a  brilliantly 
lighted  house,  where  we  stopped  for  the  night, 
as  it  was  now  too  late  to  go  over  to  Buenaven- 
tara.  The  owners  of  the  house  made  me  wel- 
come, and  gave  me  a  place  to  hang  my  ham- 
mock, telling  me  I  was  fortunate  to  have  es- 
caped the  soldiers,  who  were  out  looking  for  a 
party  of  revolutionists  supposed  to  be  hiding 
among  the  islands. 

I  was  fortunate  in  many  ways.  I  was  out  of 
the  hands  of  my  rascally  men,  was  in  sight  of 
Buenaventara,  and  just  as  I  was  getting  in  my 
hammock  the  rain  came  on,  a  torrent  of  water 
that  was  almost  beyond  belief,  and,  well  satis- 
fied that  I  had  a  roof  over  my  head,  I  presently 
fell  asleep  and  rested  thoroughly  till  the  morn- 
ing. 

I  had  now  nothing  to  do  but  cross  the  bay, 
and  reach  the  highway  of  travel  again.  At 
Buenaventara  I  found  fair  accommodations, 
and  passed  a  week  while  waiting  for  a  steamer. 

My  men  were  allowed  to  go  unpunished, 
though  I  could  have  given  them  a  good  lesson, 

213 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

because,  when  I  told  of  my  unpleasant  experi- 
ence, the  authorities  were  anxious  to  punish  them 
severely,  but  I  had  given  my  word  that  I  would 
not  have  them  punished  if  they  took  me  on,  and 
that  was  enough ;  they  were  allowed  to  go  free. 


214 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XX. 


ACROSS    PANAMA 


We  drew  in  sight  of  Panama  City  after  two 
days,  and  as  we  sailed  into  the  anchorage  I  found 
that  the  most  notable  among  the  ships  were  two 
steamers  flying  the  Chilian  flag,  attesting  the 
progress  and  energy  of  that  far-away  republic, 
from  whose  shores  the  finest  steamers  at  Panama 
had  come;  ships  which  one  day  or  other,  when 
the  canal  is  opened,  will  be  trading  even  to  our 
Atlantic  seaports. 

The  water  off^  Panama  was  not  very  attract- 
ive, and  had  an  uncertain  colour  of  mud  and 
seaweed,  such  as  one  might  notice  among  shal- 
low lagoons  of  the  North.  Off^  the  harbour  were 
groups  of  rather  barren-looking  islands,  and 
on  either  side  of  the  city  the  low  shores  of  the 
Isthmus  lay  flat  and  uninviting.     To  the  north 

^15 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

we  saw  low  mountains,  and  to  the  south  distant 
ranges  of  somewhat   greater  elevation. 

When  we  arrived  at  our  anchorage  the  tide 
was  out,  and  extensive  mud-flats  and  coral  rocks 
barred  the  way  to  the  city.  After  a  time,  the 
mighty  flood  of  the  tides  in  the  Pacific  turned, 
setting  in  toward  the  land,  and  presently  a  num- 
ber of  barges  came  out  to  the  steamer.  Our 
baggage  was  dumped  into  the  largest  with  but 
little  ceremony,  and  we  scrambled  after  it,  a 
strange  company  of  passengers,  —  Spanish- 
Americans  of  good  position,  now  tumbled  and 
dirty  from  the  eff^ects  of  seasickness,  too  much 
depressed  to  care  how  they  looked;  negro  la- 
bourers with  their  wives  and  children,  all  con- 
tented and  happy,  too  careless  to  even  think 
of  their  clothes;  stolid  Indians  serving  their 
masters,  their  indiff'erence  a  sharp  contrast  to 
the  eagerness  of  the  others;  a  group  of  Chi- 
nese, chattering  together,  their  excitement  tell- 
ing of  their  interest ;  and  a  number  of  Americans 
from  the  North,  thinking  they  ought  to  be 
given  precedence  in  such  a  company,  and  not 
getting  it. 

On  reaching  the  docks  we  hurried  out  of  the 
barges,   and   were  immediately   surrounded   by 

216 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

would-be  servitors.  We  were  in  the  land  of 
sharks,  both  water  and  land  sharks;  the  Span- 
iards knew  how  to  treat  them,  cursed  the  sharks, 
gave  their  baggage  to  their  servants,  and 
marched  off.  I  liked  that  proceeding,  and  so 
cursed  the  sharks  myself;  they  fell  back;  but 
I  had  no  servant,  and  sat  down  on  my  baggage 
while  the  sharks  looked  on  from  a  respectful 
distance.  Then  they  laughed  at  me;  so  did 
I,  —  what  else  could  be  done?  I  was  caught, 
and  it  was  better  to  laugh  than  to  scold.  The 
sharks  took  the  hint,  rushed  in,  and  the  next 
instant  a  straggling  parade  set  out  for  the 
hotel,  —  baggage,  specimen-cases,  personal  ef- 
fects, —  all  carried  by  a  rough  company  of 
porters,  while  a  crowd  of  small  boys  brought 
up  the  rear,  struggling  among  themselves  for 
the  honour  of  carrying  an  old  newspaper  and 
my  umbrella.  It  was  not  good  for  the  news- 
paper, and  my  umbrella  was  of  no  further  use 
after  they  had  finished  with  it.  We  reached 
the  hotel,  and  I  paid  up.  When  all  was  settled, 
I  did  not  have  any  money  to  spend  in  Panama 
that  night.  Then  a  little  boy  came  gravely  in, 
bringing  me  a  bit  of  paper,  for  the  carriage  of 
which  from  the  dock  to  the  hotel  he  now  de- 
217 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

manded  payment.  I  gave  him  a  trifle,  to  re- 
ward his  splendid  effrontery;  he  ran  out,  and 
immediately  another  boy  appeared,  he,  too, 
bringing  me  a  bit  of  newspaper.  Unfortu- 
nately newspaper  is  plenty,  and  so  are  boys. 
I  saw  I  was  up  against  it,  and  fled  ignominiously 
to  my  room.     Panama  was  too  much  for  me. 

The  day  following  I  was  out  early,  looking 
about  the  city,  a  place  where  there  was  not  much 
of  interest.  The  sun  was  burning  hot,  the  air 
damp,  and  even  the  walls  of  the  buildings 
seemed  to  be  perspiring.  I  found  the  streets 
full  of  people,  and  everywhere  there  was  a  sense 
of  activity,  diff^erent  from  what  one  usually  ex- 
pects in  a  Spanish-American  city.  There  were 
many  little  shops  where  curios  were  off^ered  to 
tempt  travellers ;  all  the  specimens,  I  was  sol- 
emnly assured,  came  from  the  country,  or  from 
the  ocean  near  Panama,  the  great  variety  attest- 
ing the  diversity  of  the  soils  and  the  products 
of  the  Isthmus.  I  found  cheap  Mexican  opals, 
such  as  I  have  purchased  in  New  York  at  three 
dollars  per  hundred,  here  off^ered  for  three  dol- 
lars each,  and  called  Panama  stones;  there 
were  gypsum  (selenite)  heads  from  Canada, 
called  here  country  pearls;    there  were  Indian 

218 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

curios  from  Birmingham,  England;  fancy  arti- 
cles from  Connecticut;  in  fact,  material  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  which  travellers,  as  they 
hurried  through  the  city,  bought  at  extrava- 
gant prices,  under  the  assurance  that  they  were 
obtaining  rare  specimens  of  the  varied  prod- 
ucts of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  For  myself, 
I  did  not  buy,  and  became  unpopular  at  once, 
but  it  was  interesting  to  watch  the  shopkeepers 
do  the  travellers,  and  they  certainly  were  an 
easy  lot;  but  then,  they  wanted  to  secure  sou- 
venirs of  Panama,  and  took  kindly  to  curios 
from  Birmingham  and  other  places,  and  did 
not  really  object  to  paying  from  ten  to  one 
hundred  times  the  value  for  their  purchases; 
but  then,  the  specimens  all  came  from  the  Isth- 
mus, at  least  so  the  travellers  thought,  and  all 
were  happy,  even  the  shopkeepers. 

Panama  lives  on  the  travellers ;  so  it  has  been 
for  years,  so  it  always  will  be,  unless  the  canal 
should  be  lost  to  the  Isthmus;  which  all  who 
know  the  disputed  routes  sincerely  hope  will  not 
be  the  case,  for  the  advantages  of  the  Panama 
route  are  clear  and  convincing.  But  what  a 
fine  time  the  sharks  will  have  when  once  the 
work  is  established. 

219 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

These  same  sharks  now  gathered  about  me, 
offering  all  sorts  of  specimens,  or  urging  unre- 
quired services.  I  soon  tired  of  it  all;  there 
was  nothing  of  real  interest  in  the  city,  so  I 
took  one  of  the  slow  trains  across  the  Isthmus 
for  Colon,  hoping  to  have  a  good  view  of  the 
canal  workings.  There  was  not  much  to  be  seen, 
however;  only  surface  work  had  been  done, 
though  much  earth  had  been  removed,  and 
the  whole  length  of  the  canal  was  clearly  de- 
fined, —  a  great  ditch  extending  almost  across 
the  Isthmus,  and  at  some  places  opened  to  con- 
siderable depth.  Not  much  work  was  being 
done,  though  a  little  digging  was  in  progress. 
The  splendid  machinery  all  along  the  route 
attested  the  millions  which  had  been  spent,  and 
the  fact  that  most  of  the  machinery  remained 
without  care,  exposed  to  the  damp,  destructive 
climate  of  Panama*,  was  evidence  of  the  careless 
methods  which  mark  all  that  has  been  done  on 
the  canal  up  to  the  present  time. 

Crossing  the  Isthmus  even  on  a  slow  train 
does  not  take  very  long.  On  the  way  there 
were  not  any  attractive  places,  and  everywhere 
one  notices  the  marks  of  the  beaten  track,  and 
surely  no  route  is  more  frequented  than  that  of 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Panama.  From  the  car  window  one  sees  low 
hills,  where  the  forests  have  been  cut  down,  and 
the  tangled  growth  of  shrub,  climbing  vines, 
trees  and  palms  has  taken  their  place;  a 
tangled,  matted  growth,  struggling,  as  it  were, 
among  themselves  for  the  mastery,  the  whole 
clinging  and  dragging  each  on  the  other,  and 
not  attaining  the  sublimity  of  the  primeval  for- 
ests of  the  tropics.  The  stations  where  one 
stops  are  small,  and  there  is  little  of  interest; 
the  people  are  a  patchwork  of  cast-ofF  clothing, 
remnants  of  the  passing  crowd  of  travellers. 
There  is  little  of  real  interest,  and  when  one 
reaches  Colon  it  is  with  a  feeling  of  relief,  for 
the  ride  has  not  been  very  comfortable,  and  the 
country  has  been  disappointing ;  one  has  crossed 
Panama,  but  one  has  not  seen  the  grandeur  of 
the  American  tropics. 

At  Colon  the  question  of  reaching  a  hotel 
with  all  one's  baggage,  and  at  least  a  part  of 
one's  money,  is  of  serious  importance.  Here 
the  sharks  are  mostly  black,  and  when  I  left 
the  train  they  looked  me  over  and  prepared  for 
bloodletting,  but  I  was  ready  for  them  this  time ; 
specimen-cases  and  baggage  were  checked  at 
the  station,  and  I  retained  only  three  hand-bags, 

221 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

containing  what  I  would  need  during  my  brief 
stay  on  the  Isthmus.  The  black  men  were  dis- 
appointed, and  urged  long  and  earnestly  the 
danger  of  leaving  my  effects  with  the  railway 
and  steamship  agent;  but  I  had  some  use  for 
what  silver  I  carried,  and  so  left  my  things.  I 
allowed  a  big  negro  to  put  my  things  on  a  hand- 
truck,  and  take  them  three  blocks  to  a  hotel.  I 
expected  to  stand  twenty-five  cents  gold  for 
each  bag,  a  total  of  about  two  dollars  and  forty 
cents  in  their  silver,  or  at  the  rate  of  some 
eighty  cents  silver  per  minute  for  his  services; 
but  on  arriving  at  the  hotel,  he  demanded  three 
dollars  gold,  about  three  dollars  and  twenty 
cents  per  minute  in  his  money.  This  did  seem 
to  be  rubbing  it  in  too  hard,  but  I  gave  him 
half  of  what  he  claimed,  and  told  him  if  he 
wanted  the  balance  he  should  make  an  appeal 
to  the  Alcalde,  the  head  magistrate  of  the  town. 
This  he  did,  with  all  assurance,  and  I  had  a 
small  lawsuit  on  my  hands,  a  circumstance  in 
which  I  found  considerable  interest,  for  I  wished 
to  see  how  the  baggage-sharks  were  treated. 
The  Alcalde  gave  little  heed  to  what  I  had  to 
say;  the  negroes  were  threatening,  and  quite  a 
crowd  had  collected,  and  the  Alcalde  was  evi- 

222 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

dently  afraid  of  them,  for  he  gave  a  hasty 
decision  in  their  favour,  and  directed  that  I 
should  pay  the  money  immediately.  I  had  given 
them  half  of  what  they  claimed,  and  now  offered 
to  pay  the  balance,  but  no,  they  must  have  the 
whole  amount  which  had  been  awarded  to  them; 
and  so  a  second  dispute  arose,  and  I  was  ordered 
to  pay  the  whole  claim,  and  I  did  so,  feeling 
rather  indignant  at  this  example  of  "  justice  " 
on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama;  but  I  was  through 
with  the  sharks,  for  a  time  at  least,  and  now 
went  about  my  own  affairs. 

Colon  is  a  city  of  sheds  and  board  houses. 
There  is  one  main  street  where  there  are  a  few 
large  stores;  the  city  has  several  side  streets 
where  the  houses  are  on  stilts,  and  just  beyond 
the  city  there  are  swamps,  where  mosquitoes 
reign  supreme. 

Bloodletting  is  the  common  practice,  from  the 
mosquitoes  which  infest  the  air  to  the  children 
who  seek  contributions  in  the  streets,  the  bag- 
gage-sharks who  haunt  the  stations  and  wharves, 
and  even  to  the  leading  merchants,  who  sell 
spurious  curiosities,  and  smilingly  do  the  trav- 
ellers for  what  can  be  obtained.    Also  the  watch- 


2S3 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

ful  officials,  ever  on  the  lookout  for  the  main 
chance. 

All  this  is  typical  of  the  lowlands  of  tropical 
America.  In  the  mountain  parts  it  is  frequently 
different;  an  incident  will  illustrate.  Once, 
when  I  was  stopping  at  Madellin,  in  Colombia, 
a  little  bootblack  made  himself  useful,  and  re- 
ceived fairly  liberal  tips  for  running  errands 
and  generally  guarding  my  interests,  as  well  as 
keeping  my  shoes  clean.  One  evening,  as  I  was 
going  to  dinner,  he  came  running  up  to  me,  a 
broad  smile  on  his  face,  and  in  his  hand  three 
cactus  figs  rolled  up  in  a  bit  of  paper.  The 
package  was  thrust  into  my  hand,  and  the  boy 
started  for  the  door,  as  if  he  were  in  a  hurry 
to  get  away.  I  called  him,  so  that  I  might  give 
some  little  gratuity,  but  he  only  shouted  back, 
"  No,  no,  they  are  not  for  money ;  they  are  for 
you,"  and  then  he  bolted  out  the  door  and  was 
away  in  the  streets.  At  dinner  I  was  told  that 
the  fruit  was  really  choice,  and  long  out  of 
season,  and  every  one  wondered  that  the  boy  had 
found  some,  saying  that  he  must  have  climbed 
for  hours  among  the  mountains  trying  to  obtain 
them.  This  happened  in  the  breezy  interior 
uplands  among  the  mountains,  where  a  race  of 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

people  is  growing  up  strong  in  body,  of  healthy 
morals,  an  honour  to  themselves  now,  and  who 
will  one  day  become  a  power  in  the  world.  They 
are  different  indeed  from  the  cringing,  swin- 
dling, unhealthy,  mixed-breed  weaklings  of  the 
lowlands,  people  who  cause  our  ideas  to  be  some- 
what unfavourable  in  regard  to  everything 
Spanish- American. 

Here  at  Colon  I  found  the  usual  population 
of  the  coast,  their  dispositions  somewhat  more 
unpleasant  than  usual,  with  their  clutch  at  one's 
purse-strings  for  ever  grasping  and  impulsive. 


225 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE    INDIANS    AND    RESOURCES    OF    PANAMA 

I  FOUND  at  Panama  a  rich  country,  where 
agricultural  opportunities  are  attractive  and 
mineral  wealth  is  abundant. 

Panama  is  everywhere  accessible  to  the  water, 
and  as  a  consequence  the  principal  roads  are 
to  the  coast,  and  little  trading-ships  are  numer- 
ous, for  the  ways  of  communication  are  princi- 
pally by  water.  Wherever  a  stream  is  found 
available  for  canoes,  they  are  used,  though, 
except  on  the  Silsola  River,  on  the  northern 
boundary,  and  on  the  streams  about  the  Chiri- 
qui  Lagoon,  there  is  but  little  canoe  travel. 

Panama  is  reputed  the  most  unhealthy  of  all 
places  in  the  American  tropics,  a  natural  infer- 
ence because  the  route  of  travel  has  sought  the 
lowest  divide  for  crossing  the  Isthmus,  and  low 
lands  in  the  tropics  are  unhealthy;   particularly 

226 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

where  there  are  swamps,  as  at  Colon,  and  great 
exposures  of  marine  drift  when  the  tide  falls,  as 
at  Panama  City.  These  places  are  unhealthy, 
and  their  reputation  is  well  deserved,  but  after 
leaving  the  depressions  between  the  two  sea- 
ports one  finds  a  better  country,  where  the  lands 
are  rich,  and  the  climate  reasonably  favourable. 
The  Chiriqui  Lagoon  is  considered  a  health  re- 
sort, and  among  the  interior  mountains  I  have 
found  many  desirable  regions,  though  the  ele- 
vations are  rather  abrupt,  because  the  rock 
formations  disintegrate  easily,  and  erosion  has 
been  rapid;  hence  one  finds  steep  mountain- 
sides, deep  valleys,  coastal  plains  of  eroded  ma- 
terial, and  swamps.  Among  the  mountains  the 
air  is  temperate,  and  all  the  surroundings  de- 
lightful. In  the  deep  valleys  there  is  intense 
heat  and  poisoned  air.  On  the  coastal  plains, 
wherever  there  is  good  drainage  and  an  open 
sweep  of  the  trade- winds,  the  climate  is  delight- 
ful, though  hot,  and  the  lands  are  desirable.  In 
the  swamps,  no  man  can  live. 

In  the  northern  portions  of  the  Isthmus  there 
are  mountains  of  considerable  elevation.  South- 
ward these  gradually  subside  to  the  central  de- 
pressions   where    the    canal    is    being    seriously 

227 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

considered.  Farther  south  the  mountains  rise 
again  and  become  very  prominent.  If  the  canal 
goes  to  Panama,  the  Isthmus  will  enjoy  some 
years  of  active  construction,  with  large  expendi- 
tures of  money,  followed  by  a  great  commercial 
movement.  Lands  along  the  central  depressions 
are  good  and  fertile,  but  the  climate  is  unde- 
sirable. To  the  south  the  inhospitable  San  Bias 
Indians  are  a  dangerous  element,  so  it  appears 
that  the  lands  most  desirable  for  foreigners  are 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  Isthmus,  and  that 
Boeus  del  Toro  and  the  Chiriqui  Lagoon  regions 
will  be  the  places  from  which  supplies  to  feed 
the  canal  labourers  will  be  principally  drawn; 
though  there  will  be  a  strong  rival  some  distance 
to  the  eastward  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa 
Marta  Mountains,  also  a  portion  of  Colombia; 
for  there  everything  can  be  grown,  even  the 
products  of  the  temperate  regions  of  the  north, 
and  from  there  vessels  once  loaded  can  run 
directly  before  the  trade-winds  into  Colon;  but 
of  the  lands  on  the  Isthmus,  those  of  the  north- 
east seem  to  me  the  most  desirable,  and  I  have 
written  of  them  because  it  may  be  that  presentl3^ 
many  will  be  going  south,  and  a  word  in  time 
may   be   valuable.      Coastal   plains,   where   the 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

drainage  is  good,  and  the  winds  blow  freely, 
are  desirable;  mountainsides,  so  situated  that 
products  can  be  easily  carried  to  the  sea,  are 
almost  sure  to  provide  a  favourable  basis  for 
development;  but  of  the  coastal  plains  where 
water  is  stagnant  and  the  trade-winds  are  weak, 
of  the  rich  alluvials  bordering  on  swamps,  and 
of  the  deep,  hot  valleys,  beware,  —  even  the  In- 
dians avoid  them. 

Of  all  that  I  saw  in  northeastern  Panama, 
the  primeval  tropical  forests  at  the  base  of  the 
mountains  were  most  impressive.  There  one 
steps  from  a  canoe  to  the  shore,  pushes  aside  a 
rank  growth  of  reeds  and  plants,  struggles 
through  them  for  a  little  distance,  reaches  a 
wall  of  green  foliage,  lifts  an  overhanging 
bough,  scrambles  under,  and  the  world  is  shut 
out;  the  traveller  stands  in  shadow-land  and 
silence.  Strange,  dim  butterflies  go  wavering 
in  and  out  among  a  dense  growth  of  ferns  and 
tender  plants  which  could  not  endure  the  sun, 
giant  trees  form  as  it  were  columns  for  an  ex- 
pansive roof  of  green,  and  everywhere  the  gray 
trunks  of  slender  trees  reach  upward  till  their 
branches  find  the  sunlight  far  above,  and  their 
naked  stems  seem  like  a  slender  tracery  pendant 

229 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

from  the  upper  roof  of  green.  A  tangled, 
matted  growth  it  is,  dimbing  vines  festooned 
among  the  trees,  deep  shadows,  here  and  there 
a  bit  of  glowing  sunlight,  and  mysterious  depths 
ever  opening  out  as  one  presses  forward.  Such 
are  the  primeval  forests  of  the  tropics,  and  no- 
where can  they  be  seen  to  better  advantage  than 
at  northeastern  Panama. 

That  the  Isthmus  has  many  desirable  places 
is  evidenced  by  the  Indian  tribes  who  have  long 
made  it  their  chosen  home.  In  the  north  there 
are  the  Chiriqui  tribes,  Indians  who  make  pot- 
tery and  have  better  methods  in  their  system  of 
living  than  many  of  the  Central  American  tribes. 
In  the  mountains  of  the  interior  there  are  other 
Indians,  who  much  resemble  the  Talamanca 
people  of  Costa  Rica,  but  who  are  at  bitter 
enmity  with  them.  My  visits  to  the  country 
occupied  by  these  Indians  were  not  long  enough 
to  learn  much  of  their  customs.  In  appearance, 
they  have  a  general  resemblance  to  the  Indian 
races  found  through  Central  America,  from  the 
coastal  plains  and  forests  of  Honduras,  south- 
ward to  the  depression  of  hills,  and  to  the 
swamps  and  lowlands  between  Colon  and  Pan- 
ama. 

^30 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

South  of  this  depression  are  the  San  Bias 
Indians,  with  whom  my  acquaintance  is  also 
limited.  Their  appearance  indicates  a  race  dif- 
ferent from  the  Indians  living  along  the  coast 
farther  north.  The  San  Bias  men  have  stronger 
features  and  more  character  in  their  faces. 
Traders  who  have  frequently  been  along  their 
coast  tell  me  that  their  morals  and  methods  of 
living  are  a  credit  to  them,  and  I  was  told  that 
their  word  in  a  trade  was  good  even  to  their 
own  disadvantage.  Once  given,  their  word 
would  not  be  broken. 

I  was  told  that  their  chief  had  stated,  when 
talking  of  their  tribal  legends,  that  white  men 
and  gold  were  the  two  curses  of  the  Indians,  and 
because  of  them  their  ancestors  had  long  ago 
come  as  fugitives  across  the  deadly  swamps  to 
the  south,  and  had  settled  among  their  isolated 
mountains  where  neither  white  men  nor  gold 
could  come. 

I  was  told  that  the  chief  had  said  that  for- 
merly they  were  a  great  people,  and  that  their 
two  principal  cities  were  called  Quito  and  Ca- 
racas, and  that  between  those  cities  there  had 
been  a  great  country  inhabited  by  many  In- 
dians,  and   there   was   much   gold.      Then   the 

231 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

white  men  came,  and  the  gold  brought  trouble, 
and  finally  his  ancestors  went  away,  crossing 
the  mountains,  swamps,  and  rivers,  till  they 
should  find  a  country  so  far  distant  that  the 
white  enemy  could  not  find  them,  and  where 
gold  could  not  be  had.  This  is  a  legend.  I 
did  not  hear  it  from  the  Indians  myself;  but 
several  traders  corroborated  the  story,  and  all 
attested  the  strange  determination  by  which  the 
San  Bias  Indians  maintain  that  death  is  pref- 
erable to  the  presence  of  white  strangers.  One 
thing  is  certain,  no  white  man  can  live  in  the 
San  Bias  country.  These  Indians  will  trade 
any  of  their  products,  so  long  as  the  traders 
sleep  in  their  ships,  and  come  ashore  only  when 
invited;  but  let  the  trader  speak  of  gold,  and 
they  will  all  leave,  assuring  the  trader  that  there 
is  none  in  their  country,  and  that  he  had  better 
go  somewhere  else. 

Little  is  known  of  the  San  Bias  country,  and 
it  is  said  that  their  mountains  are  rich  in  gold 
and  that  other  minerals  are  abundant.  This  is 
more  than  probable,  for  those  mountains  are 
directly  in  the  line  of  the  chain  of  gold  deposits, 
which,  beginning  in  Alaska,  continue  southward, 
through     California,     across     Mexico,     Central 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

America,  and  Panama,  and  thence  on  southward 
far  away  into  the  Andean  ranges.  Yet  it  is 
probable  that  the  legends  of  gold  in  the  San 
Bias  country  are  exaggerated,  for  exaggeration 
has  always  an  undisputed  field  where  the  country 
is  unknown. 

It  is  related  that  a  party  of  Colombians  from 
Cartagena,  attracted  by  the  rich  agricultural 
lands  of  the  San  Bias  country,  started  a  colony 
there,  settling  on  the  shores  of  a  convenient  har- 
bour on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  Isthmus ;  but  on 
the  first  night,  bands  of  Indians  attacked  them, 
and  killed  all  but  one,  who,  after  being  tortured, 
was  sent  back  to  Cartagena  with  his  ears  cut  off, 
as  an  example  to  all  who  thought  of  visiting 
the  San  Bias  country.  The  story  continues  that 
the  government  of  Colombia  sent  soldiers  to 
chastise  the  Indians,  but  the  soldiers  too  were 
killed,  except  one  who  was  captured,  and  who, 
after  being  tortured,  was  sent  with  his  ears  cut 
off^  as  a  present  to  the  President  of  Colombia, 
with  a  warning  that  so  all  his  soldiers  would  be 
treated  if  they  came  to  the  San  Bias  country. 

This  was  long  ago,  and  since  then  that  coun- 
try and  its  Indians  have  been  left  to  their  own 
devices.     Along  the  San  Bias  coast  there  are 

233 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

numerous  islands  where  the  finest  cocoanuts  are 
grown,  forming  the  principal  article  of  com- 
merce sought  by  the  traders  who  visit  that 
country. 

When  I  saw  these  islands,  I  was  simply  sail- 
ing past  them,  for  the  Indians  were  not  friendly 
to  a  complete  stranger,  and  it  was  thought  best 
not  to  stop.  I  was  much  impressed  with  the 
productiveness  of  those  islands,  and  the  lands 
beyond  them  looked  attractive,  but  between  the 
Indians  of  that  country  and  white  men  is  a  bar- 
rier, and  I  have  no  information  of  what  may  be 
hidden  behind  their  cocoanut  plantations  and 
the  islands  along  their  coast. 


12S4 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

PANAMA  AND  NICARAGUA  ROUTES  FOR  THE  ISTH- 
MIAN   CANAL 

While  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  I 
became  thoroughly  convinced  that  this  was  the 
most  favourable  route  for  a  canal.  One  easily 
obtains  such  an  impression  from  the  proximity 
of  the  two  oceans,  for  at  Panama  the  extremes 
of  the  world  meet  at  a  narrow  divide.  The 
Pacific  Ocean  ebbs  and  flows,  piling  up  a  mighty 
tide  of  waters,  rising  and  rising,  a  flood  that 
comes  as  if  there  were  to  be  no  ending,  at  some 
places  even  turning  fresh-water  rivers  backward 
on  their  course  for  miles  inland;  and  then  the 
tide  subsiding,  a  mighty  rush  of  waters  turns 
again  to  the  ocean;  nor  is  the  outward  flow 
checked  till  great  stretches  of  mud  and  rock 
are  uncovered,  where  but  a  short  time  before 
had  been  water  deep  enough  for  vessels  to  sail 

235 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

undisturbed.  On  the  other  side  of  the  Isthmus 
are  the  waters  of  the  Caribbean,  where  the  tides 
are  scarcely  noticed,  and  the  appearances  are  as 
different  as  the  waters  of  one  side  of  the  earth 
can  be  from  the  waters  of  the  other  side. 

At  Nicaragua  these  conditions  are  not  so 
impressive,  for  between  the  shifting  sands  at 
Graytown  and  the  Pacific  there  is  a  large  stretch 
of  country,  a  route  of  travel  occupying  some 
days,  so  that  one  is  impressed  with  difficulties 
and  distances,  and  wonders  at  the  engineering 
skill  which  could  plan  a  waterway  to  accommo- 
date ocean-going  vessels  for  so  great  a  distance ; 
but  travelling  between  Colon  and  Panama  one 
sees  the  two  oceans  within  a  few  hours,  and  feels 
how  close  one  is  to  the  other,  and  thinks  how 
natural  that  a  canal  should  be  planned  to  cut 
the  hills  which  separate  them. 

Once  when  I  was  making  some  examinations 
on  the  borderlands  of  Costa  Rica  and  Nica- 
ragua, I  stood  on  an  elevated  ridge  where  I 
could  see  all  the  proposed  route  for  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal.  I  saw  before 
me  a  vast  stretch  of  country,  treacherous  low- 
lands such  as  I  have  learned  to  dread,  and  I 
imagined  the  strange  appearance  a  great  ship 

236 


CoUtv    ^ 

4 

L. 

^ 

\ 

|^^^^H^p<iiv<tii^ 

1 

4 

m!^ 

Wi 

'^M.- 

m 

jgnncroH 


Ubnury 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

would  make,  passing  on  among  the  dense  wood- 
lands, should  the  canal  be  constructed  over  that 
route,  and  I  could  not  but  think  of  the  cost  of 
maintenance.  I  have  had  to  deal  with  the  prob- 
lem so  frequently  in  the  tropics,  where  earth- 
works do  not  resist  as  they  do  at  the  North; 
and  I  wondered  how  many  times  the  banks  of 
the  canal  would  be  washed  down  in  such  a  coun- 
try by  the  sudden  floods  which  come  so  often 
in  the  tropics,  and  from  where  I  stood  it  seemed 
that  all  the  water  of  that  great  basin  would 
wash  toward  the  proposed  canal  route.  And 
I  wondered  if  a  great  dam  could  be  continuously 
maintained,  for  the  soil  is  eroded  of  recent  ma- 
terial from  the  surrounding  volcanic  ranges, 
and  is  lightly  packed.  The  proposed  lake  would 
cover  a  great  area,  and  at  places  its  banks  would 
be  little  more  than  low  divides,  which,  it  seemed 
to  me,  would  afford  but  unstable  retaining  pow- 
ers where  floods  would  chafe  to  find  an  outlet. 
The  soil  is  easily  eroded,  and  the  fierce  storms, 
all  too  frequent  in  that  country,  might  readily 
supply  the  force,  and  at  some  unexpected  point 
erosion  might  form  an  outlet,  and  suddenly  the 
waters  of  the  lake  might  subside,  doing  incial- 
culable  harm. 
237 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

Nor  is  maintenance  the  only  difficulty,  and 
surely  the  Panama  route  has  its  share  of  main- 
tenance problems,  only  the  problems  do  not  con- 
tinue over  so  great  a  distance  as  at  Nicaragua. 
There  are  shifting  sands  at  Graytown,  but  at 
Colon  there  is  quiet  water.  At  Graytown  there 
is  the  full  force  of  the  waves  which  are  contin- 
ually washing  against  the  shore.  What  a  seri- 
ous impediment  to  navigation,  and  what  wrecks 
will  strew  that  shore  if  the  canal  goes  to  Nica- 
ragua, for  the  entrance  could  be  but  compara- 
tively narrow;  surely  a  ship  would  require  skil- 
ful handling  to  make  safe  entrance  during 
rough  weather.  At  Colon  a  rowboat  could  go 
safely  on  a  pleasant  excursion  in  and  out  of  the 
canal  entrance. 

Graytown  has  one  advantage,  a  great  advan- 
tage over  Colon,  it  is  among  the  healthiest  of 
places  in  the  tropics,  because  it  is  built  on  a 
series  of  sand  deposits,  which  have  been  formed 
seaward  one  after  the  other,  and  the  place  is 
open  to  the  full  sweep  of  the  trade-winds ;  but 
back  of  Graytown  is  a  swampy  country  extend- 
ing a  long  distance  inland.  Advocates  of  the 
Nicaragua  route  contend  that  these  swamps  are 
healthful,  but   I  have  never   seen  a   healthful 

238 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

swamp  in  the  tropics,  and  I  have  seen  a  goodly 
number  of  them;  one  can  live  in  such  regions 
for  a  time,  but  once  let  extensive  excavations 
be  undertaken,  and  the  swamps  will  give  an 
account  of  themselves.  There  is  another  seri- 
ous question  to  be  considered  in  regard  to  the 
Nicaragua  route:  it  lies  between  two  ranges 
of  mountains  where  there  are  volcanoes,  dor- 
mant it  is  true,  but  still  giving  indications 
ominous  of  what  might  be.  In  Costa  Rica, 
one  called  Poas  at  the  western  end  of  the  range 
is  still  steaming.  In  the  crater  of  another, 
Irazu,  directly  overshadowing  the  proposed 
route,  water  has  risen  up  and  disappeared 
again,  an  instance  carefully  explained  by  my 
guide  when  I  ascended  that  mountain,  and 
spent  some  time  examining  the  crater.  Across 
the  broad  valley  the  ancient  volcanoes  of  Nica- 
ragua are  all  dormant,  but  frequently  myste- 
rious rumblings  are  heard  among  them.  Can 
any  one  say  surely  that  these  volcanoes  are 
dead  ? 

As  I  stood  looking  across  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  proposed  Nicaragua  route,  I  felt  a  slight 
tremor  under  my  feet,  so  slight  it  might  have 
been  only  a  fancy,  then  came  a  faint  rumbling, 

239 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  my  guide  said,  "  Hear  the  Nicaragua  moun- 
tains growling  at  us.     A  storm  is  coming." 

I  asked  him  if  this  sign  was  sure,  and  he 
said  that  when  rumbhng  sounds  came  from  the 
mountains  in  Nicaragua  a  storm  could  be  ex- 
pected, that  they  did  growl  sometimes  in  dry 
weather,  but  they  usually  made  the  most  noise 
when  the  rainy  season  first  began,  so  people 
associated  them  with  rain.  Surely  those  are 
ominous  features,  and  one's  spirit  trembles  at 
the  thought  of  what  might  be,  should  those  vol- 
canoes again  become  active.  In  Costa  Rica  is  a 
range  of  volcanoes,  one  of  which  at  the  extreme 
western  elevation  is  still  steaming,  the  others 
standing  like  gaunt  sentinels,  their  cinder  cones 
raised  high  in  the  air,  barren  and  desolate,  over- 
looking a  broad  valley;  and  on  the  northern 
side  of  this  valley  is  a  series  of  mountains 
from  among  which  rumbling  sounds  come  so 
frequently  that  people  living  along  the  south- 
ern edge  of  the  valley  listen  with  indifference, 
remarking  only  that  rain  is  coming;  and 
through  this  valley  the  construction  of  a  great 
interoceanic  canal  has  been  seriously,  and  even 
earnestly  advocated. 

I  was  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  difficulties 

240 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  dangers  of  the  Nicaragua  route  that  I  said 
to  friends,  on  returning  to  the  coast,  that  no 
canal  would  be  built  at  Nicaragua  until  the 
political  difficulties  which  stood  in  the  way  of  a 
reasonable  treaty  with  Colombia  had  been  con- 
sidered in  all  their  features,  and  were  found 
to  make  it  impossible  that  a  canal  should  be 
undertaken  at  the  Panama  route. 

In  Colon  I  was  asked  for  my  opinion  over  and 
over  again,  for  at  the  time  of  my  visit  it  looked 
as  though  the  Nicaragua  route  would  be  selected 
for  this  great  enterprise;  and  when  I  went 
away,  common  report  had  it  that  in  Nicaragua 
there  was  a  valley  of  fire  surrounded  with  blaz- 
ing volcanoes,  and  that  I  had  seen  it,  —  a  good 
example  of  Spanish- American  exaggeration. 


Ul 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

HUNTING    FOE    GOLD    IN    ANTIOQUIA 

From  Colon  I  took  a  steamer  bound  for  Sa- 
venilla,  the  seaport  of  Barranquilla,  Colombia, 
where  I  arrived  in  two  or  three  days,  and  im- 
mediately began  preparations  for  a  journey  to 
the  gold  regions  of  Antioquia. 

I  found  Barranquilla  a  eity  of  activity,  sand, 
dust,  fleas,  and  pretensions;  but  for  all  that, 
it  is  one  of  the  coming  places  in  Spanish  Amer- 
ica, and  has  so  much  to  expect  from  the  future 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  set  a  limit  to  the 
growth  and  development  which  may  be  here  ex- 
pected; for  all  the  great  waterways  of  Colom- 
bia lead  to  this  city  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Magdalena.  After  a  few  days  at  Barranquilla, 
I  took  passage  on  one  of  the  numerous  river 
steamers,  and  was  presently  making  my  way  up 
the  muddy  waters  of  the  Magdalena.  The 
steamer  was  crowded,  the  day  burning  hot,  and 

M2. 


i^ .:,,...... 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  succession  of  monotonous  appearing  swamps 
and  low  meadows  was  most  uninteresting.  Mud- 
banks,  sand-bars,  and  dead  trees  were  frequently 
passed;  alligators,  herons,  and  aquatic  birds 
were  in  abundance;  and  on  either  side  of  the 
river  the  lowlands,  swamps,  and  lagoons  spread 
out  for  miles.  A  most  unhealthful  region,  where 
foreigners  can  hardly  expect  to  find  lands  suited 
to  them,  though  many  people  native  to  these 
lowlands  do  well  in  this  country.  After  a  few 
days'  travelling,  the  steamer  reached  Puerto 
Barrio,  and  there  I  left  her  to  take  the  road 
overland  to  Madellen,  and  on  this  road  I  found 
inconveniences  abundantly,  in  some  places  even 
sorrows,  for  the  chinch-bug  was  ever  present, 
and  the  nights  were  passed  as  a  delirium  rather 
than  as  a  time  of  rest  and  sleep. 

This  was  Antioquia,  a  region  endowed  by 
every  resource  of  nature,  from  mineral  wealth 
to  agricultural  products.  The  people  in  the 
uplands  are  a  strong,  vigorous  race,  fine-looking 
and  intelligent,  but  shrewd  and  rather  hard  in 
their  dealings.  The  mountainsides  and  fertile 
valleys  of  their  country  are  well  occupied,  and 
most  of  the  best  places  are  taken  up.  Travel- 
ling on  their  principal  road  to  the  capital,  Ma- 
Z4i^ 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

dellen,  one  passes  over  the  mountain  ridges, 
follow  then  the  road  into  deep,  rich  valleys, 
where  all  the  surroundings  are  a  delight  to  the 
eye;  but  at  night,  when  one  stops  at  the  road- 
houses,  there  are  chinch-bugs  and  torture.  I 
will  never  forget  a  night  when  a  travelling  com- 
panion took  me  to  one  of  the  smallest  of  these 
places,  where  all  the  family  worked,  ate,  and 
slept  in  a  single  room;  here  he  sat  up  nearly 
all  the  night  talking  boisterously,  and  a  group 
of  women  at  one  side  of  the  room  told  their 
beads  continuously,  a  singsong  drone  varied 
with  long,  loud  petitions  for  material  benefits. 
Apparently  they  proposed  to  keep  on  praying 
all  the  night,  and  the  chinch-bugs  in  droves  and 
hosts  came  attacking  me  as  I  lay  helpless  on  a 
rough  bed,  finding  sleep  impossible,  and  wonder- 
ing why  I  could  have  been  such  a  fool  as  to  come 
to  the  tropics.  There  was  no  sleep  that  night, 
and  when  morning  came  I  was  a  mass  of  blister- 
ing bites  and  blood-marks  from  the  attacks  of 
the  chinch-bugs,  and  found  myself  in  a  state  of 
irritated  fever.  Fortunately  I  reached  Madellen 
that  day,  and  found  better  quarters,  where, 
under  the  influence  of  fine  air  and  clean  food, 
I  was  soon  myself  again. 

^44 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  stopped  for  a  time  in  the  city,  making  vari- 
ous excursions  from  there  to  examine  mines  in 
different  places,  among  them  the  strange,  deep 
valleys  where  rivers  have  eroded  almost  to  sea- 
level,  bringing,  all  the  while,  gold-dust  down 
from  the  surrounding  mountains,  to  be  collected 
in  the  low  valleys,  where  the  streams  at  flood 
overflow  their  banks,  and  then  quickly  subside 
again,  leaving  behind  them  mud  and  decaying 
vegetable  material  to  fester  in  the  sun.  This 
poisons  the  air  to  such  an  extent  that  none  can 
remain  in  those  valleys  without  contracting  dan- 
gerous fevers. 

After  attending  to  such  matters  as  claimed 
my  attention  at  Madellen,  I  engaged  mules,  and 
with  a  guide  started  over  the  mountains  for  a 
place  called  Zaragoza.  At  first  all  went  well, 
then  one  day  I  was  attacked  with  a  violent  fever, 
such  as  I  had  never  known.  I  stopped  at  a 
road-house,  where  good  fortune  followed  me; 
the  place  was  clean,  and  was  presided  over  by 
a  kind  woman,  who,  seeing  my  condition,  gave 
me  every  attention,  in  fact,  better  care  I  could 
not  have  had ;  but  in  spite  of  her  efi^orts  the 
fever  kept  mounting  higher;  such  remedies  as 
I  had  were  of  no  avail,  and  matters  were  be- 

245 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

coming  serious.  Medical  aid  could  not  be  had 
except  by  sending  miles  away,  and  grave  faces 
were  gathered  about  me,  when,  to  the  surprise  of 
everybody,  one  of  the  most  noted  physicians  of 
Madellen  came  passing  that  way,  a  providential 
aid  for  me;  he  came  just  at  the  critical  hour, 
passing  the  house  where  I  lay,  on  his  road  to 
visit  a  coffee  plantation  he  owned,  not  having 
seen  or  been  that  way  since  two  years,  and  now 
visiting  it  for  the  last  time,  for  he  intended 
never  to  come  again.  My  good  hostess  ran 
eagerly  to  call  him,  and  as  he  came  in  the  room 
I  realized  I  was  to  be  in  good  hands.  A  hurried 
examination,  and  he  sent  my  man  galloping 
away  for  medicines,  and  in  about  two  hours  I 
was  being  put  through  a  course  of  heroic  treat- 
ment, —  first,  emetics  for  two  hours,  during 
which  I  drank  quarts  of  water  to  assist  the  ac- 
tion; after  this  there  was  a  course  of  purging, 
so  violent  that  it  seemed  scarcely  endurable, 
but  the  treatment  effected  a  cure,  and  the  next 
day  I  was  told  that  I  had  suffered  an  attack  of 
malignant  fever,  a  malady  so  dangerous  that 
it  frequently  kills  in  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours. 
Truly  the  physician  had  come  only  just  in  time. 
After  a  day  or  two,  I  resumed  my  journey,  and 

^46 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

presently  found  myself  on  a  road  which  for 
mud,  difficult  passes,  and  utter  abandonment 
was  equal  to  anything  I  had  ever  seen.  It  led 
me  through  unhealthful  regions,  and  I  fre- 
quently noticed  a  nameless  wayside  grave,  some- 
times a  group  of  them,  mute  testimony  to  the 
struggles  which  others  had  endured  on  this 
awful  road.  I  kept  pushing  on,  while  touches 
of  the  fever  came  returning  at  times,  and  as 
I  continued  from  day  to  day  the  thought  was 
ever  in  my  mind,  would  my  end  be  a  nameless 
wayside  grave  along  that  desolate  road?  By 
struggling  on,  I  arrived  at  Zaragoza  weak  and 
tired,  and  there  had  another  attack  of  fever,  but 
knowing  how  to  treat  it,  I  was  soon  well  again ; 
and  I  can  recommend  to  all  travellers  in  the 
tropics  to  carry  strong  emetics,  active  purga- 
tive medicines,  and  quinine.  If  a  fever  is  taken 
in  time,  there  is  little  danger.  Begin  with  an 
emetic,  and  let  it  be  thorough,  helping  the  ac- 
tion by  abundant  drafts  of  warm  water,  then 
take  a  purge,  and  a  big  one  to  act  quickly,  after 
that  take  large  doses  of  quinine  for  a  few  days. 

From  Zaragoza  I  made  canoe  trips  to  vari- 
ous gold  mines,  and  then  went  down  the  Nachi 
and  Cauca  Rivers,  chancing  it  to  find  canoes  for 

M7 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  way.  It  was  a  rather  doubtful  experiment, 
but  a  merchant  who  was  traveUing  with  me  said 
we  would  certainly  find  canoes  going  from  place 
to  place ;  and  in  this  we  were  successful,  though 
our  necessities  brought  us  strange  travelling 
companions.  Sometimes  we  went  with  a  group 
of  labourers  who  were  seeking  work,  at  others 
we  travelled  with  merchants  who  peddled  goods 
from  their  canoes,  and  sometimes  we  went  along 
with  cargoes  of  produce  which  had  been  gathered 
from  the  woodlands  and  jungles.  We  met  with 
rough,  irresponsible  people  who  travelled  as  they 
fancied,  were  happy  on  any  provision,  and 
went  their  way  drinking  and  gambling,  cursing 
or  murdering,  as  moved  by  the  occasion.  Alone 
I  would  have  had  a  sorry  time  with  them,  but 
my  companion  was  a  merchant  of  influence,  and 
affairs  went  favourably.  One  day  a  peddling 
merchant  who  was  carrying  us  on  the  Cauca 
River  stopped  at  a  little  settlement,  and  there 
began  drinking.  Soon  he  was  intoxicated,  and 
then  presented  us  with  his  canoe,  and  ordered 
his  men  to  take  us  on  our  way.  We  were  glad 
of  an  excuse  to  go,  and  proposed  to  leave  the 
canoe  at  the  next  stopping-place  in  charge  of 
the  owner's   son,  who  was  going  on  with  us. 

248 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Without  any  delay,  we  pushed  off  from  the 
shore,  and,  congratulating  ourselves  on  our 
good  fortune,  went  floating  away  down  the 
muddy  waters   of  the  Cauca. 

We  had  not  gone  far,  however,  when  the  man, 
now  delirious  with  rum,  started  in  pursuit, 
shouting  for  us  to  stop.  This  we  tried  to  avoid, 
and  endeavoured  to  keep  ahead  of  him,  think- 
ing he  would  follow  to  the  next  stopping-place ; 
but  presently  he  plunged  into  the  river,  intent 
on  swimming  to  the  canoe  in  which  we  were  trav- 
elling. We  hurried  to  his  assistance,  and  he 
clambered  on  board  intent  on  vengeance.  In 
drunken  frenzy  he  seized  a  knife  and  made  an 
attack  upon  my  companion,  but  one  of  the  boat- 
men, by  a  clever  tipping  of  the  canoe,  sent  him 
headlong  into  the  water  again.  Then  he  grap- 
pled the  side  of  the  canoe,  and  we  towed  him 
to  land,  not  without  some  difficulty,  for  he  was 
determined  to  climb  in  again,  which  we  all  decid- 
edly opposed.  Fortunately,  when  we  reached 
the  shore,  he  was  exhausted,  and  then  we  left 
him  and  his  turbulent  crew  to  quarrel,  drink,  and 
murder  if  they  wished;  while  we,  taking  an- 
other canoe  from  a  landing  near  by,  went  float- 


^49 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

ing  away  on  the  deep,  muddy  waters  of  the  Rio 
Cauca. 

In  a  day  or  two  more  we  reached  the  Mag- 
dalena,  and  there  found  a  stream  whieh  took  us 
directly  to  Barranquilla.  It  was  in  the  height 
of  the  dry  season,  and  all  the  country  for  miles 
about  the  city  looked  dead  and  desolate,  naked 
trees  and  withered  grass,  dust  on  everything, 
under  a  burning  and  indistinct  sky. 


250 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

A  CANOE  VOYAGE  IN  THE  OPEN  SEA 

I  WAS  not  sorry  to  take  the  first  opportunity 
to  leave  Barranquilla,  though  really  it  is  a  most 
desirable  place,  and  shortly  after  my  arrival  I 
started  for  the  eastern  part  of  the  country,  be- 
ginning my  journey  with  a  canoe  voyage  across 
the  swamps  and  lagoons  to  the  eastward  of 
Barranquilla.  We  were  to  have  started  at  eight 
p.  M.  I  was  the  guest  of  the  owners,  and  came 
to  the  canoe  promptly,  but  the  men  did  not 
appear,  and  when  at  last  they  did  come,  it  was 
well  on  toward  morning,  and  then  a  most  un- 
pleasant journey  was  commenced.  The  swamps 
were  full  of  mosquitoes,  mud-banks,  and  stag- 
nant water;  but  there  was  very  little  vegeta- 
tion, only  rank  ferns,  reeds,  and  mangrove- 
trees,  and  one  wearied  of  the  monotony;  then 
the  men  were  drunken  and  ugly ;   the  owners  of 

251 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  canoe  had  not  told  them  they  were  to  take 
a  passenger,  and  my  presence  was  not  pleasing 
to  them.  First  they  demanded  various  sums 
of  me,  and  then  decided  the  best  thing  was  to 
throw  me  overboard.  We  were  now  in  a  broad 
lagoon,  and  the  prospect  was  not  alluring,  but 
fortunately  my  pistol  was  ready,  and  com- 
manded some  respect,  though  it  is  a  difficult 
thing  to  control  drunken  men.  A  white  man 
was  in  charge  of  the  canoe,  but  he  was  as  drunk 
as  his  men,  and  the  affairs  were  becoming  rather 
unpleasant.  Presently  the  men  began  quarrel- 
ling among  themselves;  one  struck  another  a 
heavy  blow  on  the  head  with  his  paddle,  split- 
ting the  scalp,  and  knocking  him  overboard. 
We  all  thought  he  was  killed,  but,  on  dragging 
him  into  the  canoe,  found  he  was  not  much  in- 
jured, though  for  a  time  he  was  insensible. 
This  incident  had  a  quieting  influence,  and  now 
there  was  not  so  much  trouble,  probably  because 
about  that  time  the  supply  of  rum  gave  out, 
and  we  reached  our  destination  in  safety.  I 
am  told  that  after  I  left  the  party  the  quarrel 
broke  out  again  with  the  first  supply  of  rum, 
and  that  two  of  my  late  companions  were  killed. 
I  make  it  a  rule  when  travelling  not  to  allow 

252 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

any  rum  in  the  party,  and  usually  make  good 
progress,  but  I  was  only  a  guest  while  crossing 
the  swamps,  and  so  could  not  forbid  the  supply 
of  liquor.  I  was  now  at  a  place  called  Le 
Siennega,  and  saw  a  great  lagoon  stretching 
westward  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach;  about 
me  an  open  sand-plain,  where  there  were  thorn- 
bushes,  acacia,  and  cactus  plants;  and  to  the 
eastward  the  lofty  ranges  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
de  Santa  Marta,  their  sunburnt  sides  covered 
with  trees  naked  in  the  dry  season,  and,  to  all 
appearances,  withering  away  or  quite  dead. 
From  here  a  railway  took  me  to  Santa  Marta, 
a  picturesque  little  place  at  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  where  there  is  a  good  harbour,  and 
desirable  coffee  lands  among  the  hills  and  valleys 
back  of  the  city.  It  was  important  that  I  should 
not  remain  here  long,  yet  there  were  no  means  of 
continuing  my  journey,  nor  would  there  be  for 
some  weeks.  This  would  never  do,  and  I  searched 
earnestly  for  an  opportunity.  Fortunately, 
some  Indians  were  living  near  Santa  Marta, 
making  their  livings  by  deep-sea  fishing.  They 
were  used  to  the  water,  and  I  asked  them  if  they 
could  not  take  me  out  to  sea  and  then  along 
the  coast  in  one  of  their  big  canoes.  The  leader 
25S 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

said,  "  Yes,  but  you  know  what  will  happen  if 
the  wind  blows." 

"  Yes,  I  know." 

"  We  are  not  afraid,  if  you  are  not." 

I  was  not  afraid,  or,  rather,  there  was  a 
reason  so  urgent  that  I  felt  the  risk  was  re- 
quired, that  I  might  prevent  the  loss  of  certain 
properties  for  the  people  I  was  representing; 
so  I  made  a  bargain  with  the  Indians,  and  we 
would  start  that  night  when  the  moon  came  up. 

There  was  no  weakening  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians.  They  said  they  would  go,  and  they 
were  ready  on  the  minute,  —  a  characteristic  of 
these  people  which  all  must  respect;  but,  un- 
fortunately, this  is  little  understood  by  white 
men,  and  hence  there  is  endless  contention  where 
Indians  are  employed.  If  an  Indian  says  he 
will,  he  can  be  relied  on  exactly  to  the  last  de- 
tail. A  white  man  says  he  will,  and  the  Indians 
expect  him  to  be  exact  to  the  last  moment  in 
time,  the  last  cent  in  money,  and  the  last  frac- 
tion of  an  ounce  in  goods ;  but  an  hour's  delay, 
a  mistake  in  accounts,  and  their  confidence  is 
lost;  be  a  day  late,  and  enemies  will  be  found 
where  friends  were  expected,  but  be  exact  to  the 
minute,   the  pennyweight,   and  the   letter,   and 

254 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

your  men  are  your  enthusiastic  friends  and 
faithful  servants  to  the  last  extremity.  Another 
mistake  is  to  urge  them  too  much  to  promise 
what  they  are  doubtful  of  rendering.  They  will 
undertake  it  for  you,  but  not  under  their  word, 
and  then  results  are  doubtful.  I  sometimes 
think  they  would  rather  fail  just  to  prove  that 
they  were  right  and  you  were  wrong. 

But  to  return  to  my  journey.  I  was  with 
the  Indians,  and  they  had  said  they  would  take 
me.  Everything  was  ready  at  the  moment. 
Without  a  word  the  Indians  loaded  the  canoe, 
and  we  were  presently  making  our  way  steadily 
toward  the  open  sea.  As  the  canoe  was  paddled 
rapidly  across  the  still  waters  of  the  harbour, 
I  felt  secure  in  all  that  endurance  and  faith- 
fulness could  do  to  take  me  safely  to  my  jour- 
ney's end.  In  a  few  moments,  we  were  out  in 
the  open  sea;  the  mountains  stood  a  bold, 
gloomy  outline  to  the  south,  and  to  the  north 
there  was  the  broad  expanse  of  the  open  sea, 
great  waves  and  troubled  waters  furrowing  its 
surface.  All  along  the  coast  there  were 
cliffs,  and  the  mighty  waves  crashed  against 
them  repeatedly,  and  subsided;  a  moment  of 
quiet,  and  then  the  repeated  breaking  of  an- 

255 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

other  series  of  waves,  —  about  us  the  night  was 
damp  and  heavy.  No  one  spoke;  the  naked 
Indians  bent  resolutely  to  their  oars,  and  truly 
it  required  all  their  force  to  make  headway. 
It  was  a  fine  night,  only  a  gentle  breeze  was 
blowing,  and  presently  we  were  making  good 
progress;  but  as  morning  commenced  to  dawn 
the  chief  looked  somewhat  anxious;  presently 
the  wind  would  come;  we  must  reach  a  bight 
among  the  cliffs,  and  he  urged  his  men,  but 
they  knew  as  well  as  he,  and  bent  with  all  their 
force.  We  were  still  some  distance  from  our 
haven,  and,  as  the  light  grew  stronger,  puffs 
of  wind  began  to  scud  across  the  water,  not 
very  strong  at  first,  but  occasionally  a  puff 
would  come  with  sudden,  ominous  force.  The 
men  worked  as  I  had  never  seen  men  work  be- 
fore, untiring,  forceful;  and  the  great  canoe 
went  steadily  on  and  on,  but  the  wind  was  ever 
increasing.  As  the  day  grew  in  light,  I  could 
see  that  the  naked  legs  of  the  Indians  had  been 
chafed  through  by  the  rough  boards  on  which 
they  sat,  and  that  blood  was  dripping,  but  still 
they  worked  on,  and  made  no  sign  of  complaint. 
At  times  I  thought  the  wind  would  surely  drive 
us  on  the  rocks;    twice  I  offered  to  help  row, 

256 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

but  the  chief  bade  me  sit  still,  and  I  have 
learned  to  do  as  the  Indians  direct;  they  will 
not  tolerate  interference;  directions  once  given 
will  be  carried  out  in  their  own  way  to  the  end ; 
so  I  watched  the  great  waves  beat  against  the 
cliffs,  which  one  moment  were  covered  with  foam 
and  spray,  dashing  upward  many  feet,  and  the 
next  instant  would  be  naked,  and  looking  invit- 
ingly harmless,  only  to  be  covered  again  with 
beating  waves  and  foam  as  the  waters  broke 
against  them  with  crashing,  ominous  sounds. 

We  were  fortunate  to  round  a  point  of  rocks 
successfully,  the  most  dangerous  place  on  our 
voyage,  and  just  beyond  found  smoother  water 
where  better  headway  could  be  made,  and  pres- 
ently we  were  camping  for  the  day  on  a  sand- 
beach  in  a  bight  among  the  rocks,  the  tired 
Indians  throwing  themselves  on  the  ground  to 
rest,  but  with  no  sign  or  word  of  complaint. 
The  day  passed  pleasantly,  and  when  evening 
came  we  went  on  again,  and  so  for  three  days. 
The  Indians  worked  faithfully,  and  brought  me 
in  good  time  to  my  destination ;  then,  according 
to  their  custom,  they  turned  back  again  with 
scarcely  a  word.  They  had  done  as  they  agreed, 
and  simply  went  their  way. 

257 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

THE    SIEBEA    NEVADA    DE     SANTA     MAETA    MOUN- 
TAINS 

The  Indians  had  brought  me  to  a  little  town 
called  DibuUa,  where  I  completed  titles  to  a 
great  quantity  of  mineral  lands  for  the  com- 
pany I  represented,  and  then  began  a  series  of 
explorations. 

First  I  examined  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
and  one  day,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  men, 
I  was  working  on  a  rolling  savannah  where  the 
ground  had  a  rather  favourable  appearance  for 
coal.  As  we  went  about  among  the  hills,  we 
jumped  a  deer  from  a  clump  of  bushes  and  tall 
grass.  It  ran  in  great  fright  for  a  long  dis- 
tance, and  then  stood  still  where  we  could  just 
see  it,  much  too  far  away  for  a  shot.  I  tried, 
however,  pointing  my  rifle  about  ten  feet  up  the 
wind,  and  shooting  high  over  my  sights;    we 

«68 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

stood  an  instant  watching;  the  deer  put  down 
its  head  to  feed,  then  jumped  suddenly,  and 
we  could  see  as  the  ball  struck  the  bank  beyond, 
and  that  it  had  just  grazed  the  animal's  neck. 
If  it  hadn't  put  its  head  down  to  feed,  I  would 
have  killed  it. 

Some  of  the  men  said  it  was  hit  hard,  and 
started  in  pursuit,  but  they  were  evidently  mis- 
taken and  soon  came  back.  Then,  as  we  were 
returning  to  the  hut,  the  men  were  talking  it 
over,  wondering,  and  still  exclaiming  at  such 
a  remarkable  rifle  and  such  a  wonderful  shot. 

We  had  no  meat  in  the  camp,  but  next  morn- 
ing, as  I  was  about  starting  for  the  woods, 
one  of  the  men  ran  and  brought  my  rifle,  say- 
ing as  he  came,  "  Never  mind ;  this  will  bring 
us  meat,  and  plenty  of  it,  before  night." 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  presently  we 
started  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys,  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  missing  in  succession  three  unusually 
fine  shots  at  birds  sitting  perfectly  still  in  the 
open  branches;  but  with  such  a  reputation  as 
I  established,  it  was  all  blamed  on  the  rifle,  or 
the  day,  and  even  the  light  might  have  been 
deceptive.  We  went  on,  and  soon  fell  in  with 
another  flock   of   turkeys,   and   I   missed    four 

259 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

shots,  which  was  certainly  discouraging;  but 
when,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I 
had  missed  twenty-seven  good  shots  at  turkeys, 
my  companion  said,  with  many  apologies,  that 
the  rifle  must  have  gone  wrong  in  the  night, 
and,  as  it  would  be  convenient  to  have  some  meat, 
perhaps  he  had  better  kill  the  next  turkey  with 
his  shotgun ;  which  he  did  in  a  very  short  time, 
securing  three  without  much  difiiculty.  I 
thought  of  the  men  at  camp,  and  remembered 
what  they  had  said,  "  Never  mind ;  this  will 
bring  us  meat,  and  plenty  of  it."  I  looked  at 
my  rifle;  felt  like  kicking  it  all  the  way  to  the 
ocean,  and  then  jumping  in  after  it. 

I  didn't  eat  turkey  that  night;  I  preferred 
fish;  and  it  wasn't  very  good  fish,  either;  the 
fact  is,  it  was  rotten  fish,  but  it  was  better  than 
turkey. 

I  tested  that  rifle  a  few  days  later,  and  found 
the  sights  were  in  good  order,  and  I  regret  to 
say  that  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  not  done 
much  shooting. 

A  time  passed  examining  lands  and  mineral 
outcroppings  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  made 
me  eager  for  a  change,  and  a  few  days  later, 
my   preparations   having   been   finished,   I   was 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

anxiously  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  carry 
my  explorations  to  the  lofty,  almost  unknown, 
regions  among  the  mountains  rising  just  be- 
fore me. 

I  was  anxious  to  start  at  once,  but  in  Spanish 
America  the  great  day  is  to-morrow,  and  why 
should  one  hurry  when  a  better  day  is  always 
coming?  Yet  this  disposition  is  most  annoying 
to  travellers,  who  cannot  understand  the  indo- 
lent disposition  of  the  natives;  while,  for  their 
part,  the  natives  are  firmly  convinced  that  all 
foreigners  are  crazy. 

It  seemed  almost  unreasonable  that  better 
progress  could  not  be  made,  but  it  was  impor- 
tant to  have  animals  brought  from  the  moun- 
tains, because  none  others  could  climb  the  rough 
trails.  I  was  put  off  from  day  to  day,  and 
constantly  annoyed  by  new  causes  for  delay. 
At  last  I  was  informed  that  the  animals  had 
arrived,  or  rather,  some  were  passing  that  way 
which  I  could  engage  if  I  wished.  I  ordered 
them  at  once,  and  my  surprise  may  be  imagined 
when  three  shaggy-coated  bulls  were  driven  up 
to  my  door.  I  was  disappointed,  but  of  course 
did  not  want  them;  I  was  looking  for  animals 
accustomed  to  mountain  trails. 

261 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

"  These  are  the  proper  animals,"  their  owner 
said ;  "  only  bulls  and  oxen  can  go  up  there ; 
two  are  for  your  baggage,  and  one  is  for  you  to 
ride." 

I  immediately  changed  my  plans.  I  wasn't 
riding  bulls;  perhaps  I  was  prejudiced,  but 
I  preferred  to  walk.  I  engaged  the  strongest- 
looking  animal  for  a  light  cargo,  and  wanted  to 
start  at  once;  but  no,  it  was  late,  and  the  next 
day  would  be  Good  Friday,  a  bad  day  for 
travelling,  and  the  men  were  not  willing  to  go. 
By  angry  persuadings,  I  at  last  forced  from 
them  a  reluctant  consent  to  start  the  next  morn- 
ing, though  they  assured  me  we  would  have 
trouble,  that  it  was  a  bad  day,  and  evil  would 
surely  follow  us. 

Next  morning  everything  was  ready,  but  the 
owner  had  decided  that  his  bull  cpuld  not  go 
out  on  Good  Friday,  not  because  of  any  respect 
for  the  day,  but  for  fear  that  some  evil  might 
come  to  the  animal. 

Fortunately  other  bulls  had  come  down  from 
the  mountains,  and  we  secured  one  that  looked 
like  a  fine,  big  fellow,  and  started  on  our  way. 
But  evidently  this  bull  had  ideas  of  its  own 
about  travelling  on  Good  Friday,  and  we  had 

262 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

not  gone  far  when  he  began  to  rear  and  plunge, 
jumping  about  with  such  violence  that  the  cargo 
was  Scattered  all  over  on  the  ground,  and  the 
pack-saddle  broken  and  trampled  to  pieces; 
then  the  bull  took  to  the  woods  and  disappeared. 

"  There,"  said  my  bull-driver,  "  I  told  you 
we  could  not  start  to-day;  now  see  what  has 
happened;  we  must  pack  up  all  the  things  and 
go  back  to  the  house." 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  I  said ;  "  go  back 
and  bring  another  bull." 

He  looked  at  me  in  astonishment.  *'  After 
such  a  warning,  the  fault  is  yours ;  if  you  make 
us  go,  the  trouble  will  come  to  you,  not  to  us. 
The  Devil  is  in  the  woods  to-day." 

A  sharp  command,  and  he  hurried  away,  fol- 
lowed by  my  servant,  who  was  equally  aston- 
ished at  my  temerity.  After  a  time,  they  came 
back  with  a  tough-looking  little  bull,  the  pack 
was  rearranged,  and  we  started  on  again.  I 
felt  a  little  sinful  myself,  but  with  all  the  feast- 
days  and  rest-days  to  follow,  it  seemed  best  that 
I  should  push  on  at  once. 

After  we  were  under  way,  travelling  was 
about  as  usual,  and  the  fears  of  the  men  were 
overcome  to  some  extent.     Our  route  took  us 

26S 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

down  the  beach  for  about  six  hours,  and  then 
along  a  trail  over  low  ground  toward  the  moun- 
tains. Here,  in  spite  of  the  day,  we  were  for- 
tunate to  get  across  some  wet  places  without 
difficulty,  though  the  men  predicted  every 
trouble,  and  perhaps  the  loss  of  the  bull  and 
cargo,  because,  in  spite  of  my  infidelity,  the 
Devil  would  surely  catch  the  bull  by  the  legs 
and  drag  him  down  into  the  mud;  and,  if  not 
this,  a  snake  would  come  and  bite  me.  Yes,  I 
might  laugh,  the  Devil  was  bigger  than  I 
thought;  wait,  and  I  would  see.  But  I  didn't 
see,  and,  as  stated,  we  passed  the  mud-holes  in 
safety.  A  little  further  on,  we  met  a  party  of 
men  also  travelling,  and  there  was  a  moment 
of  mutual  surprise  between  them  and  my  men; 
then  explanations  followed,  and  it  appeared  that 
both  parties  were  travelling  from  necessity. 

One  of  the  men  carried  a  gun,  and  when  my 
men  asked  him  if  he  had  shot  anything,  he  re- 
plied :  "  Don't  you  remember  what  day  it  is  ? 
What's  the  use  of  firing?  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  kill  anything." 

"  True,"  replied  my  man,  "  I  had  forgotten." 

Then  we  went  on  again,  and  a  little  later  got 

a  shot  at  some  turkeys.     I  took  careful  aim, 

264 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  missed,  of  course,  and  I  know  why:  it  was 
the  Devil,  and  he  is  in  my  rifle  yet.  A  little 
later  we  came  to  a  hut  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  there  camped  for  the  night,  and  noth- 
ing happened.  But  in  the  morning  we  missed 
the  bull,  and  the  men  said,  "  We  told  you  so ; 
you  will  never  get  up  the  mountain.  You 
started  Good  Friday.  The  Devil  is  with  you," 
and  other  encouraging  remarks. 

I  gave  them  my  opinion  in  words  that  Were 
forcible,  if  not  strictly  moral,  and  ordered  them 
to  find  that  bull;  which  they  did  in  a  short 
while,  where  it  might  have  been  expected,  quietly 
feeding  on  some  long  grass  near  a  spring  run. 

Starting  on  again,  we  presently  began  to 
climb  the  mountains.  Our  way  led  us  to  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  places  in  all  South  Amer- 
ica, an  ascent  up  through  a  tangled  jungle, 
with  vistas  of  the  blue  ocean  in  the  distance, 
and  occasional  glimpses  of  the  lofty  mountains 
beyond  us. 

At  one  place  in  the  road,  the  men  took  me 
stealthily  to  a  high  bank,  overhanging  a  pool 
of  clear  water,  where  I  had  an  opportunity  to 
see  one  of  the  largest  alligators,  perhaps,  in 
all  the  world.      I  have   seen   others   almost  as 

265 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

large,  but  none  that  appeared  so  big  and  heavy. 
I  fired  at  him,  but  the  men  said  it  was  a  waste 
of  ammunition;  bullets  could  make  no  impres- 
sion, that  is,  not  from  above,  and  one  could 
rarely  approach  him  from  the  river,  he  was  so 
wary;  and  when  one  did  succeed  in  getting 
near  enough  for  a  shot,  he  would  always  show 
fight,  and  was  considered  too  dangerous  for  an 
encounter. 

On  our  first  day's  march  there  was  little  of 
interest,  only  continued  fatigue.  We  had  ex- 
pected to  stop  for  the  night  at  one  of  the  camps 
prepared  by  the  Aurohuaco  Indians  for  the  con- 
venience of  their  people,  who  frequently  use 
the  road  on  which  we  were  travelling.  We 
found  these  camps  too  dirty  for  use,  and  full  of 
vermin,  and  were  forced  to  keep  on,  hoping  to 
reach  a  house  before  night. 

We  were  making  good  progress,  but  along 
in  the  afternoon  the  bull  lay  down,  as  if  ex- 
hausted. "  We  told  you  so,"  came  from  the 
men  with  sundry  variations.  I  did  not  stop 
to  listen  to  their  remarks  about  the  powers  of 
Satan,  but  fell  to  work  vigorously  urging  the 
bull  on,  and  presently  succeeded. 

About  sunset  we  had  crossed  the  first  range 

266 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

of  mountains,  and  were  passing  through  a 
mountain  valley,  where  the  gathering  shades  of 
the  evening  made  pleasant  travelling,  and  the 
bull  plodded  along  patiently,  as  if  it  under- 
stood the  situation.  As  it  began  to  grow  dark, 
we  were  approaching  a  higher  ridge  of  the 
mountain,  and  I  felt  many  misgivings  as  to 
our  ability  to  reach  a  house,  which  the  men  now 
assured  me  could  not  be  far  away;  but  just 
then  we  saw  a  light,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
were  standing  before  the  door  of  a  well-built 
hut,  where  a  solitary  Indian,  named  Mario 
Henio,  was  living  with  his  only  child,  a  pretty 
little  girl  of  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years. 
The  Indian  came  to  welcome  us,  holding  three 
pieces  of  sugar-cane  in  his  hands,  one  for  each, 
and  it  was  pleasant  to  receive  his  grave,  kindly 
greetings. 

I  was  pleased  to  see  that  my  guide's  first 
thought  was  for  the  bull,  and  the  tired  animal 
was  made  comfortable  with  an  abundance  of 
fresh  grass.  It  had  done  good  work  that  day, 
and  a  pack-mule  could  never  have  come  so  far. 

From  our  provisions  a  bountiful  supper  was 
prepared,  which  we  shared  with  the  Indian  and 
his  little  girl;    and  then  we  all  went  to  bed, 

267 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

where  I  found  it  comfortable  to  have  my  blan- 
kets gathered  close  around  me  in  my  hammock, 
while  a  fire  in  the  centre  of  the  house  gave  a 
softness  to  the  crisp  mountain  air,  but  did  not 
quite  warm  it.  I  had  a  beautiful  sleep  that 
night,  and  when  I  awoke  in  the  morning  my 
men  were  preparing  the  cargo,  and  the  pretty 
little  girl  was  busy  getting  breakfast.  We  had 
Indian  provisions,  and  a  quantity  of  rice  and 
dried  peche  peche,  a  little  bivalve,  Donax  den- 
ticulatus,  which  is  found  in  great  abundance  at 
times  in  the  sand  along  the  sea  at  Dibulla. 
The  flavour  is  delicate,  and  I  had  become  very 
fond  of  them,  and  on  starting  for  the  mountains 
had  taken  a  good  supply  among  our  provisions. 

After  breakfast  I  gave  some  silver  coins  to 
the  little  Indian  girl,  whose  delight  and  happy 
enthusiasm  over  the  gift  was  a  pleasant  open- 
ing for  the  day.  We  had  not  far  to  go,  and  the 
only  incident  was  the  necessity  of  fording  a 
mountain  stream,  where  the  water,  originating 
in  the  perpetual  snow  of  the  higher  mountains, 
was  so  cold  that  it  made  the  flesh  creep. 

About  noon  we  reached  Pueblo  Vie  jo,  where 
additional  guides  and  a  fresh  animal  were  to  be 
engaged.    While  preparations  were  being  made, 

268 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

I  had  an  opportunity  to  look  about  me.  The 
place  was  delightful,  a  narrow  valley  among 
high  mountain  peaks,  where  in  the  distance  the 
great  snow-clad  summits  of  the  inner  range 
could  be  distinctly  seen.  Opposite  the  little 
village  was  a  solitary  conical  mountain,  isolated, 
and  not  so  high  as  the  others,  more  regular  in 
appearance,  and  covered  with  green  grass  to 
the  very  top.  I  determined  I  would  explore  it, 
and  later  told  my  men  we  would  stop  for  a  day 
or  two  at  Pueblo  Viejo. 

As  sunset  was  approaching,  I  went  part  way 
up  that  peculiar  mountain  to  enjoy  the  view. 
I  must  have  gone  higher  than  I  thought.  After 
a  time  I  found  a  seat  on  a  bare  spot,  and  alone 
in  almost  unknown  mountains  gave  myself  up 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  scene,  a  wilderness  of 
rugged  peaks  towering  all  about  me,  the  light 
of  the  sunset  falling  on  them  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  gloomy  shadows  lengthening  in  the  valley 
below.  It  was  fascinating.  Presently  shadows 
began  to  gather  over  the  mountains,  and  then, 
as  the  darkness  of  the  tropical  evening  came, 
following  after  the  sunset,  the  great  peaks  ap- 
peared to  rise  up  higher  and  to  draw  nearer, 
as  if  to  crush  me,  a  tiny  creature  intruding 

269 


AROUND*   THE     CARIBBEAN 

himself  before  their  majesty.  Fascinated,  I 
watched  for  a  time,  and  then  suddenly  realized 
that  night  had  come,  and  I  was  alone  in  the 
mountains.  At  first  I  was  frightened,  but  on 
second  thought  I  remembered  that  the  trail 
went  all  around  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and 
that,  go  down  as  I  would,  I  could  not  miss  it. 
There  was  a  little  danger  from  poisonous  snakes, 
but  that  was  all,  and  I  began  at  once  making 
my  way  down  wherever  it  seemed  easiest. 

The  grass  had  been  burnt  over,  and  to  avoid 
snakes,  I  followed  the  burnt  places,  and  made 
fair  progress ;  but  I  had  to  go  carefully,  as 
the  mountain  was  steep,  and  a  careless  step  on 
the  coarse,  angular  gravel  might  give  a  bad 
fall.  After  going  some  distance,  I  saw  ahead 
of  me  a  black  line  extending  some  distance  down 
the  mountain,  apparently  a  path  leading  ex- 
actly where  I  wanted  to  go.  I  considered  my- 
self fortunate,  and,  hurrying  toward  it,  put 
my  foot  down  carefully,  so  as  to  get  a  firm 
hold  on  any  loose  ground,  and  the  next  thing 
I  knew,  I  plunged  head  first  into  darkness,  and 
fell  on  my  back  and  shoulders,  and  then  began 
slipping  down,  to  where  I  did  not  know.  For- 
tunately no  bones  were  broken,  but  visions  of 

270 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

snakes  and  stinging  things  nearly  frightened 
away  what  little  breath  was  left  in  my  body. 

With  the  energy  almost  of  despair,  I  clutched 
at  the  ground,  and  dug  my  feet  into  the  loose 
gravel  to  hold  myself  from  slipping  on  further ; 
then  I  found  I  was  in  a  narrow  chasm  where 
I  could  hold  on  to  either  side  and  keep  myself 
in  position,  while  a  company  of  bats  flew  taunt- 
ingly about  in  the  dark. 

I  saw  now  a  line  of  light  above  me,  and  imme- 
diately began  climbing  toward  it,  a  hand  and  a 
foot  on  each  side.  As  I  went  higher,  the  chasm 
became  wider,  and  I  was  just  able  to  reach  the 
top,  and  there,  with  a  hand  on  either  side  and 
black  darkness  opening  below,  hung  as  if  ex- 
ercising on  the  parallel  bars,  and  it  seemed  only 
a  question  of  a  few  minutes  when  my  strength 
would  give  out,  and  down  I  would  go  again, 
into  what  I  did  not  know.  To  practise  gym- 
nastics with  the  unknown  opening  below  one 
is  hardly  to  be  recommended.  I  had  a  hand  on 
either  side  of  the  chasm,  but  there  seemed  no 
way  to  get  both  hands  on  one  side.  I  kicked 
and  struggled,  and  was  just  about  to  drop  ex- 
hausted, when,  sinking  gradually,  as  my 
strength  weakened,   one  foot   struck   against   a 

271 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

rock  or  stone  on  one  side  of  the  chasm.  It  gave 
an  insecure  support,  but,  bracing  my  foot 
against  it,  I  made  a  sort  of  spring,  grabbed  the 
long  grass  at  one  side,  and  hauled  myself  out, 
fortunately  more  frightened  than  hurt. 

I  looked  about  me,  a  dizzy  feeling  in  my 
head,  and  then  saw  some  lights  down  the  moun- 
tain, and  heard  excited  voices  calling  my  name. 
I  answered,  and  then  a  voice  came  back  through 
the  darkness  telling  me  not  to  move  till  guides 
arrived  to  show  me  the  way  down.  Presently 
three  frightened  men  came  hurrying  up,  and 
asked  at  once  if  I  had  fallen  into  a  pit,  and 
when  I  said  yes,  they  told  me  that  some  of  those 
openings  were  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  and  no 
man  in  the  settlement  would  dare  to  cross  that 
mountain  at  night  without  a  good  torch. 

We  did  not  say  anything  more,  but  went 
directly  down  the  mountain  and  back  to  the 
house,  where  I  had  something  to  eat,  and  then 
went  to  my  hammock,  thoroughly  exhausted. 

Next  morning  I  was  awakened  early  by  one 
of  the  men,  who  called  into  my  room,  "  Get  up 
quickly  if  you  want  to  see  the  mountains ;  they 
are  all  as  if  reflected  in  a  mirror."  I  hurried 
out,  and  truly  it  was  a  beautiful  sight:   the  air 

27^ 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

was  so  clear  that  every  mountain,  yes,  every 
rock  and  every  leaf,  stood  out  in  bold  precision. 
The  sun  was  not  yet  up,  at  least  it  was  not 
shining  in  the  valley,  but  there  was  light  every- 
where, clear,  cool,  and  brilliant,  yet  no  signs  of 
the  sun.  I  did  not  lose  a  moment,  but  hurrying 
on  my  clothes,  started  to  climb  the  green  moun- 
tain. On  the  way  up,  I  saw  the  hole  in  which  I 
had  fallen.  It  was  about  twenty  feet  deep,  and 
how  I  escaped  without  serious  injury  I  cannot 
tell.  The  hat  I  had  worn  was  lying  at  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm,  but  I  had  no  time  for  that  now, 
and  hurried  on,  wishing  to  reach  a  high  eleva- 
tion before  the  sun  rose.  As  I  went  up,  some 
of  the  higher  peaks  began  to  glow  in  the  sun- 
light, and  then  long,  golden  rays  came  stream- 
ing across  the  valley,  still  well  above  my  head. 
I  hurried  on,  but  presently  the  sunbeams  in- 
creased, and  it  was  time  to  stop  and  watch.  I 
stood  on  a  spur  of  the  mountain  in  a  deep 
shadow,  at  a  point  above  some,  and  below  others, 
of  the  mountain  peaks;  all  up  and  down  the 
valley  there  were  dark  places  in  sharp  contrast 
with  great  pathways  of  light  ever  increasing 
as  the  sun  rose  higher.  As  I  watched,  there 
came  a  flight  of  swallows,  hundreds  and  hun- 
273 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

dreds,  sailing  swiftly  down  over  the  valley,  pass- 
ing through  sunlight  and  shadow,  some  above 
and  some  below  me;  and  the  morning  was  so 
clear  that  I  could  see  each  one  of  them  with  a 
distinctness  that  scarce  seemed  real,  and,  as  they 
sailed  swiftly  on,  their  soft,  rippling  cries  filled 
all  the  air.  Then,  while  I  was  watching,  the 
green  peak  behind  me  glowed  with  a  sudden 
light.  An  instant  more,  and  the  shadows  about 
me  seemed  to  sink  down,  and  then,  in  a  burst 
of  clear  light,  the  sun  rose  over  the  mountains ; 
and  Easter  morning  had  dawned.  I  waited  a 
few  minutes  more,  while  the  last  of  the  swallows 
went  sailing  on  down  to  the  lowlands,  and  then 
I  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  green  mountain. 
It  was  a  beautiful  view  from  there,  but  that 
strange,  clear  light  had  gone  out  among  the 
mountains,  and  the  air  lacked  something;  the 
scene  was  tame  in  comparison.  After  looking  at 
some  deep  openings  in  the  mountain,  where,  if 
one  had  fallen  in,  there  would  have  been  but 
little  chance  of  ever  getting  out,  I  started  for 
the  house.  On  the  way  I  cut  a  stout  stick  from 
a  clump  of  bushes,  and  after  a  rough  descent 
arrived  at  the  house  without  accident,  just  in 


274 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

time  for  breakfast,  which,  it  is  needless  to  say, 
I  enjoyed  thoroughly. 

Arrangements  to  continue  our  journey  were 
completed  that  afternoon.  Everything  was 
most  satisfactory,  and  I  was  to  start  the  next 
morning.  I  asked  the  men  what  had  become 
of  the  Devil  now,  but  their  faith  was  not  shaken, 
and  with  anxious  faces  they  warned  me  to  be 
careful,  or  he  would  have  me  yet.  I  joked  with 
them  for  a  time,  and  found  considerable  amuse- 
ment in  their  unreasoning  fears  and  absurd  an- 
swers. 

I  went  to  bed  feeling  well  satisfied,  but  not 
for  long,  because  my  hands  began  to  itch  and 
pain  suddenly,  and  I  could  not  understand  what 
it  was.  Presently  it  became  so  annoying  that 
I  got  up,  called  one  of  the  men,  and  asked  what 
it  could  mean.  They  didn't  know,  but  pres- 
ently one  asked  to  see  the  stick  I  had  cut  in  the 
mountains.  It  was  standing  in  the  corner,  and 
I  brought  it  to  him.  One  look  was  sufficient, 
and  he  ordered  it  thrown  out  of  the  house. 
"  Pringa  Mosa,"  he  said ;  "  didn't  you  know 
better  than  to  cut  that  ?  "  Then  he  told  me  that 
it  would  not  be  very  bad,  as  it  was  not  the  worst 
kind,  but  that  there  was  no  help  for  me. 

275 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

One  of  my  men  had  the  impudence  to  make 
some  remarks  about  the  Devil  and  Good  Friday, 
and  the  first  thing  I  could  lay  hands  on  went 
flying  at  his  head,  but  he  was  good  at  dodging 
and  no  harm  was  done. 

Next  morning  my  face  and  hands  were  pain- 
ful and  badly  swollen,  but  everything  was  ready 
for  an  early  start,  and  I  decided  to  push  on. 
We  crossed  a  high  mountain  called  El  Barco, 
and  made  our  way  down  to  the  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Rio  Ancho,  where  the  grass  was  long  and 
abundant,  and  all  the  air  soft  and  cool  like  a 
bright  day  in  October.  Here  we  found  a  group 
of  houses  of  the  Aurohuaco  and  stopped  for 
luncheon. 

The  houses  were  empty,  and  the  silence  of 
desertion,  intensified  by  the  rocky  heights  over- 
looking us,  brooded  undisturbed ;  only  our  voices 
jarred  against  it.  The  breeze  rustled  the  leaves 
on  the  trees,  and  the  birds  hid  themselves  in  the 
bushes  as  if  fleeing  from  some  unknown  danger. 
There  was  a  mystery  about  it  all.  My  guide 
shook  his  head,  and  told  me  that  he  was  afraid 
the  Indians  had  run  away  and  it  might  be  dan- 
gerous for  us  to  stay  in  their  country. 

"Why  so?"    I  asked. 

276 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

"  Because  this  means  you  are  not  welcome, 
and  it  may  be  that  as  we  go  on  they  will  roll 
great  stones  down  on  us  from  the  mountains 
above  the  path.  You  can't  depend  on  them; 
they  are  a  strange  lot." 

We  ate  our  luncheon  among  the  deserted 
houses,  and  then  started  on  again,  anxious  to 
reach  the  Aurohuaco  capital,  San  Miguel,  before 
dark.  The  road  took  us  on  up  the  valley,  now 
descending  to  a  rushing  river,  again  climbing 
over  a  projecting  spur  from  the  mountain,  and 
after  a  time  we  came  to  a  curious  suspension 
bridge,  made  by  the  Indians,  who  had  laid  two 
long  poles  across  a  chasm,  and  then  tied  branches 
with  convenient  joints  to  them,  in  order  to  hold 
in  place  a  series  of  logs  lying  on  the  angle 
formed  by  firmly  binding  together  the  lower 
ends  of  the  branches. 

It  made  a  fair  bridge,  but  rather  difficult  to 
walk  on,  as  it  swayed  uncomfortably,  and  no 
attempt  had  been  made  to  shape  the  narrow  logs 
which  formed  the  foot-path.  I  got  over  safely, 
though  several  times  my  boots,  which  were  very 
slippery,  threatened  to  give  me  a  bad  fall. 

Across  the  bridge,  I  found  myself  on  a  sort  of 
table-land  within  the  valley,  where  there  were 

277 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

boulders  and  blocks  of  granite  lying  about. 
The  trail  led  to  another  flat  place,  and  then  up 
a  terrace  to  a  broad  part  of  the  valley,  where 
presently  we  came  to  a  gate,  and  then  beyond 
us  saw  the  city  of  San  Miguel,  a  collection  of 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  little  round 
houses,  protected  by  a  strong  fence,  and  stand- 
ing on  an  elevation  at  the  foot  of  a  great,  bald 
mountain.  Just  outside  of  the  city  we  came  to 
the  Cansa  Maria,  where  the  Indians  hold  their 
religious  ceremonies  and  dances. 

It  was  a  round  building,  somewhat  larger  than 
the  houses,  with  a  high,  conical  roof,  and  three 
poles  at  the  top  like  an  inverted  tripod.  On  each 
of  these  poles  was  a  clay  cylinder,  resembling  a 
great  earthen  jar  without  a  bottom.  These  were 
slipped  over  the  poles  and  rested  on  the  roof; 
apparently  they  were  intended  to  hold  the 
thatch  in  place,  and  were  perhaps  to  serve  as 
a  sort  of  ornament  as  well.  The  building  was 
circular,  the  sides  of  open  triangular  lattice- 
work, but  inside  we  found  nothing,  and  in  a 
little  round  house  behind  the  Cansa  Maria  there 
was  nothing.  The  guide  muttered  to  himself, 
shook  his  head  angrily,  and  we  hurried  on. 
Soon  we  were  among  the  houses,  but  a  city  of 

278 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

the  dead  could  not  be  more  desolate;  there  was 
nothing:  household  utensils,  animals,  people, 
all  were  gone.  Even  the  little  Catholic  mission 
was  deserted.  We  had  been  expecting  to  secure 
fresh  provisions  from  the  Indians,  but  had  to 
content  ourselves  with  the  things  we  had 
brought.  I  didn't  care,  because  there  was 
plenty  of  peche  peche,  but  my  guide  complained 
loudly,  saying  he  expected  bread,  crackers, 
cheese,  canned  meat,  and  other  delicacies  usually 
carried  by  travellers;  things  which  I  had  left 
behind  long  ago,  as  being  a  nuisance  to  carry, 
and  such  an  expense  for  freight,  etc.,  that  it 
was  cheaper  on  a  long  trip  to  buy  eggs  at  a 
dollar  each,  when  pressed  for  food,  than  to 
carry  provision  in  bulk. 

Presently  we  heard  a  rooster  crow  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  It  had  evidently  been 
forgotten,  and  the  guide  went  after  it.  He 
returned  shortly,  and  we  had  chicken  stew, 
rice,  and  an  abundant  supply  of  peche  peche, 
which  I  considered  much  better  than  the  chicken. 
We  had  plenty  of  strong  coffee,  and  I  was  as 
well  contented  as  one  could  be  who  had  expected 
to  meet  a  strange,  almost  unknown,  race  of  In- 
dians, but  had  found  only  a  deserted  city. 

S79 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

We  slept  that  night  in  one  of  the  empty 
houses,  and  next  morning  the  guide,  who  had 
become  very  unpleasant,  said  it  was  not  safe 
for  us  to  go  on,  and  that  we  must  return  at 
once.  One  of  my  men  gave  a  satisfied  laugh, 
and  I  thought  I  heard  him  say  something  about 
the  Devil  and  Good  Friday;  but  he  suddenly 
went  about  his  work  with  great  energy,  and  so 
nothing  came  of  it.  For  my  part,  I  was  not 
going  back,  and  after  a  few  strong  words,  my 
guide  agreed  to  go  on  to  Macatama,  where  there 
was  a  Cansa  Maria,  and  it  might  be  that  the 
Indians  were  there  for  some  ceremony  or  other; 
but  he  reminded  me  that,  if  an  avalanche  of 
stones  and  rocks  came  rolling  down,  it  would 
not  be  his  fault;  the  Indians  would  not  harm 
him  or  the  others,  but  they  would  catch  me  if 
they  could.  I  told  him  that  I  believed  he  was 
lying,  and  requested  him  to  keep  his  mouth 
shut,  and  added  that,  if  he  was  afraid  to  go 
on,  I  would  do  so  alone.  He  muttered  angrily 
as  he  arranged  the  cargo  on  his  bull,  and  after 
a  poor  breakfast  we  started  on. 

The  valley  now  became  narrower,  and  the 
trail  led  along  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  At 
times  the  guide  said  that  he  could  see  Indians 

280 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

high  above  us,  keeping  watch,  but  they  were 
so  far  up  that  I  could  not  make  them  out. 

After  a  time  we  came  to  a  few  houses  and  a 
Cansa  Maria  at  a  place  called  Takena.  These 
were  also  deserted,  and  after  stopping  for 
luncheon,  I  ordered  the  guide  to  move  on.  A 
fog  was  coming  up,  and  he  complained  angrily, 
saying  that  it  was  dangerous;  that  it  might 
shut  out  the  path;  that  the  Indians  would  take 
advantage  of  it,  or  the  bull  would  slip  and  be 
killed.  I  simply  ordered  him  on,  and  he  went, 
declaring  that  he  would  hold  me  responsible  if 
anything  happened  to  the  bull. 

The  road  was  quite  easy,  and  we  made  good 
progress.  Presently  great  banks  of  thick  fog 
gathered  around  us,  and  then  the  trail  suddenly 
became  a  narrower  track,  leading  diagonally 
up  the  steep  side  of  a  great  grassy  ridge. 
Around  us  the  silence  was  intense,  broken  only 
by  the  scraping  of  our  feet  on  the  loose  gravel 
along  the  trail,  or  the  cry  of  some  frightened 
bird  that  flew  up  suddenly  and  then  disappeared 
in  the  fog.  From  far  below  us  came  the  indis- 
tinct sound  of  rushing  waters.  We  could  not 
see  ten  feet  on  any  side,  and  as  we  went  on  it 


281 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

seemed  like  climbing  up  to  some  enchanted  place 
on  a  pathway  leading  over  the  clouds. 

After  two  or  three  hours  of  cautious  climb- 
ing, the  conical  roof  of  a  house  suddenly  loomed 
up  out  of  the  fog.  The  guide  stopped,  saying, 
"  This  is  Macatama ;  we  can  go  no  further  to- 
night;   the  next  house  is  a  long  distance  off." 

There  was  nothing  but  to  do  as  he  said,  so, 
making  ourselves  comfortable  in  the  deserted 
Cansa  Maria,  we  prepared  for  the  night,  the 
guide  saying  that  this  was  the  utmost  that  could 
be  expected;  that  there  was  nothing  to  eat,  and 
next  morning  we  must  hurry  back,  and  get  out 
of  the  Indian  country.  I  did  not  say  anything, 
but  was  fully  determined  that  when  morning 
came  we  would  go  at  least  one  day's  journey 
higher  up  among  the  mountains. 

The  next  day  was  as  perfect  as  could  have 
been  asked,  and  all  the  air  was  fresh  and  crisp. 
We  had  coffee,  and  then  I  said  we  were  going  on 
higher  up  among  the  mountains,  and  we  did, 
the  guide  driving  his  bull  on  in  a  furious  rage, 
muttering  all  sorts  of  curses  under  his  breath. 
After  about  an  hour's  hard  walking,  we  came 
to  three  or  four  little  houses  at  the  head  of  the 
valley.     Here  the  guide  stopped,  drove  the  bull 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

into  the  enclosure  around  the  nearest  house,  and 
said,  "  This  is  the  end.  Above  us  there  are  no 
more  houses;  the  trail  stops  here;  the  bull  can 
go  no  further;  the  Indians  have  run  away; 
there  is  no  one  to  carry  your  things;  if  you 
were  the  Devil  himself,  you  could  not  reach  the 
top  of  the  ridge  alone.  Order  breakfast,  and 
we  will  go  back." 

I  considered  a  moment,  then  I  told  one  of  the 
men  to  stay  and  cook  breakfast,  and  that  I  would 
go  with  our  mountain  guide  and  my  servant  a 
little  farther  up,  and  at  least  see  the  base  of 
the  main  range.  Then  I  took  a  cake  of  brown 
sugar  in  my  pocket,  left  a  frightened  man  be- 
hind me,  and  with  the  two  others  started  on, 
saying  we  would  be  back  before  breakfast  was 
ready. 

We  had  gone  some  distance  when  my  guide 
pointed  out  a  round  peak  below  the  main  ridge, 
saying  that  we  could  go  up  there,  and  that  he 
had  taken  scientists,  particularly  botanists,  that 
far,  and,  if  I  wished,  we  could  go  over  there 
and  climb  it,  though  it  would  be  hard  work. 

I  didn't  want  this,  and  had  other  plans;  so 
saying  that  I  wanted  to  see  the  rocks,  we  kept 
on,  going  gradually  higher  along  the  base  of 

283 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

the  main  range.  To  my  intense  disappointment, 
a  fog  began  to  gather,  and  it  seemed  useless  to 
go  further.  Just  ahead  of  us  there  was  a  great 
pyramid  of  granite,  a  mountain  in  itself,  stand- 
ing up  against  the  main  range.  I  thought  if 
I  could  only  have  reached  that  point  before  the 
fog  came,  I  would  have  been  satisfied. 

I  turned  reluctantly  back,  pausing  for  a  mo- 
ment to  watch  the  fog-banks,  as  the  wind  swept 
them  in  eddying  curves  up  the  peak  of  granite 
just  above  me.  Then  I  noticed  that,  as  these 
fog-banks  came  against  the  rocky  mass  and  were 
carried  whirling  upward  by  the  wind,  they  faded 
away  before  reaching  the  top;  and  I  turned 
back  up  the  mountain  again,  feeling  sure  that 
the  day  was  clearing,  and  telling  the  guide  that 
I  wished  to  see  that  mass  of  rock.  He  said  we 
would  be  lost  in  the  fog ;  that  it  was  dangerous ; 
we  were  on  the  paramo  now,  and  he  would  not 
be  responsible.  I  made  no  answer,  but  pushed 
on,  and  by  the  time  I  reached  the  precipice  at 
the  foot  of  the  granite  peak,  the  fog  was  rap- 
idly disappearing  as  if  for  my  special  benefit, 
though  it  hung  about  the  lower  peaks  all  day, 
and  I  did  not  have  a  very  extended  view.  On 
reaching  the  precipice,   I   found  that  I  could 

S84 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

make  my  way  along  its  base  over  masses  of 
fallen  rock,  and  that  this  would  lead  me  along 
the  western  side  of  the  peak  and  directly  up 
toward  the  main  range. 

It  was  hard  climbing  in  the  rarefied  air;  the 
guide  grumbled  violently,  and  presently  my  serv- 
ant gave  out.  He  had  the  strength  of  an  ox, 
but  his  weight  was  against  him.  I  had  no  time 
to  wait,  and,  after  about  an  hour  more,  stood  on 
the  side  of  the  main  range  with  the  granite  peaks 
just  below  me. 

There  was  a  ledge  of  rock  and  precipice  fur- 
ther to  the  west,  and,  thinking  that  I  could  climb 
along  its  base  to  still  higher  elevations,  I  started 
as  well  as  I  could,  making  my  way  toward  it 
over  the  broken  masses  of  rock. 

My  guide  gave  a  cry  of  rage,  hurried  past 
me,  and  sat  down  as  if  to  bar  the  path,  saying, 
decidedly,  "  Senor,  we  go  no  higher." 

I  protested  angrily,  and  ordered  him  on. 

"  Not  I,"  he  replied ;  "  we  are  on  the  upper 
paramo,  all  bare  rocks  and  unknown  country; 
no  one  has  been  here,  not  Spaniard,  American, 
or  Indian;    I  go  no  further." 

I  ordered  him  on  again. 

"  I  will  not  go,"  he  said ;   "  you  are  not  rea- 

285 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

sonable.  I  have  taken  scientific  men  in  the  moun- 
tains a  great  many  times.  They  don't  ask  to 
come  to  these  places ;  they  go  where  it  is  known, 
and  where  they  can  carry  their  provisions ;  then 
they  spend  a  few  days,  collect  their  plants,  but- 
terflies, rocks,  whatever  they  want,  and  go  back 
contented,  but  you,  you  go  on  as  if  you  thought 
yourself  the  equal  of  the  Devil;  he  might  go 
up  there,  a  man  could  not." 

I  told  him  to  hold  his  tongue.  "  But  suppose 
the  fog  comes,"  he  protested,  "  how  will  we  get 
down?  To  spend  the  night  here  on  the  paramo 
would  be  death;   be  reasonable  and  come  away." 

I  hesitated  at  this,  he  seemed  so  much  in  ear- 
nest; perhaps  I  was  not  reasonable.  Then  I 
looked  up  at  the  dark  ridge  of  massive  rock  and 
the  snow  peaks  glistening  in  the  sun.  What  if 
I  could  never  come  again.''  That  was  enough. 
I  told  him  to  sit  where  he  was,  so  that  I  could 
call  to  him  when  I  came  down,  and  then  I  hurried 
on.  It  was  slow  work  at  first,  but  after  a  time 
I  got  over  the  broken  rocks,  and  made  my  way 
along  the  base  of  the  second  precipice,  getting 
higher  up  at  every  step,  and  presently  I  came 
to  a  broken  place  in  the  rocks,  where  I  managed 
to  climb  up  to  the  overhanging  ledge,  and  there 

286 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

found  very  easy  walking  to  a  smaller  precipice. 
To  reach  this  and  climb  over  was  not  difficult, 
and  then  I  saw  before  me  a  sloping  terrace 
standing  along  the  main  range,  with  the  rocks 
and  snow-covered  elevations  of  the  backbone 
of  all  the  mountains  rising  directly  above  it. 
There  was  a  little  soil  caught  here,  and  an 
abundance  of  coarse  grass  growing  among  the 
shattered  pieces  of  granite  that  were  lying  all 
about.  A  group  of  wild  cattle  quietly  feeding 
on  the  terrace  seemed  surprised,  but  not  alarmed, 
at  my  coming  among  them. 

It  was  an  easy  thing  now  to  hurry  across  this 
sloping  terrace  to  the  rocky  ridge  and  clamber 
up  at  a  convenient  point,  and  then  sit  down  in 
a  place  exposed  to  the  sun,  where  the  rocks  were 
slightly  warmed  and  comfortable.  Around  me 
there  were  ridges  of  solid  rock  and  snow,  irreg- 
ular peaks,  some  above  and  some  below  me. 
Where  I  sat,  one  leg  almost  hung  over  a  black 
abyss,  made  where  the  ridges  came  together. 
It  looked  dark  and  threatening,  and  one  could 
only  shrink  away  in  dread  of  it.  I  could  hear 
the  sound  of  waters  which  I  could  not  see  rush- 
ing along  in  its  depths,  and  great  stones  kicked 
over  with  my  foot,  as  I  sat  there,  disappeared 

287 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  fell  so  far  that  I  could  not  hear  any  sound 
of  their  striking  on  the  bottom ;  across  this  deep 
place  there  was  a  blue  glacier,  and  a  little  fur- 
ther on  the  white  peak  of  the  Ahorqueta  rose  over 
a  thousand  feet  above  me,  glistening  in  the  trop- 
ical sun.  A  mantle  of  fog  hung  about  the  lower 
mountains,  and  I  could  see  nothing  of  the  low- 
lands, but,  shut  in  apart  from  all  the  world,  was 
alone  among  those  mighty  mountains;  and  I 
was  so  very  little,  the  silence  was  so  deep  and 
unchanging,  that  I  scarcely  dared  to  move,  sit- 
ting in  awe  as  of  some  great  presence  that  might 
have  been  disturbed  at  my  intrusion.  I  sat  there 
a  long  time,  when  I  became  used  to  my  sur- 
roundings, and  began  climbing  about  among  the 
rocks ;  but  it  was  difficult  work,  and  in  that  rare- 
fied air  it  was  an  effort  even  to  raise  my  hand 
to  my  head.  After  a  time  I  noticed  that  the 
surface  of  the  fog  was  swelling  up,  and  falling 
away  again,  in  great,  white  billows.  It  was  a 
fascinating  sight,  but  I  could  easily  see  that 
it  was  creeping  steadily  closer,  and  knew  that 
it  was  time  to  return  to  my  guide. 

I  started  at  once,  hurrying  on  down  the  moun- 
tain, and  presently  began  calling,  but  there  was 
no  answer.     I  hurried  on,  still  calling,  but  only 

£88 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  echo  of  my  voice  came  mocking  back,  re- 
peated from  crag  to  crag  and  across  the  open 
spaces  among  the  mountains.  Could  it  be  pos- 
sible that  I  had  lost  my  way?  I  called  again 
and  again,  but  there  was  no  answer. 

Then  I  stopped  calling,  and  after  considering 
a  moment  began  retracing  my  steps  till  I  could 
find  some  point  that  I  was  sure  I  had  seen  com- 
ing up;  but  now  everything  was  changed  and 
confused.  It  was  not  that  I  had  lost  the  general 
direction,  —  the  streams  and  mountain  ridges 
indicated  that,  —  but  the  question  was  to  find 
the  path  down  among  those  rough,  bare  rocks. 

I  noticed  now  that  the  fog  was  growing 
alarmingly.  A  night  in  the  snow  on  the  upper 
paramo  is  dangerous;  I  knew  that  well,  and  I 
had  nothing  but  sugar  to  eat.  I  saw  that  I 
would  have  to  make  a  dash  for  it  in  an  effort 
to  reach  lower  elevations  before  the  fog  closed 
in  around  me.  I  hurried  on,  taking  advantage 
of  any  opening  among  the  rocks,  and  presently 
saw  far  below  me  the  granite  peak  that  had 
attracted  my  attention  coming  up.  It  looked 
nothing  but  a  great  pointed  boulder  now,  rest- 
ing on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  but  this  was 
a  landmark,  and  I  seemed  to  make  better  prog- 

289 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

ress.  After  a  time  I  called  again  to  my  guide, 
but,  as  before,  the  mocking  echoes  were  piy  only 
answer. 

I  went  on,  becoming  more  alarmed  every  min- 
ute as  the  fog  rolled  steadily  in  on  me;  but  I 
was  drawing  closer  to  the  granite  peak,  and  a 
little  further  on  was  delighted  to  meet  my  ser- 
vant, who  was  making  poor  progress,  and  fre- 
quently stopping  for  rest.  I  asked  anxiously 
for  the  guide,  fearing  that  he  might  have  gone 
up  the  mountains  and  become  lost  trying  to  look 
after  me;  but  my  anxiety  was  turned  to  indig- 
nation when  my  servant  told  me  that  the  guide 
had  rested  a  long  time,  and  then  started  indif- 
ferently down  the  mountain.  He  had  told  my 
servant  that  I  would  certainly  be  killed,  and 
that  he  for  one  was  going  back  to  have  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  that,  as  I  would  go  up  the 
mountain,  I  could  come  down  alone,  or  die  up 
there. 

On  hearing  this,  my  servant  had  come  up  to 
look  for  me;  he  was  making  poor  work  of  it, 
but  I  was  glad  enough  to  have  him.  We  hur- 
ried on  down  the  mountain,  and  presently  caught 
sight  of  the  guide  far  below  me,  and  a  little 
beyond  him  could  see  the  trail  winding  down  the 

290 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

range.  He  was  taking  it  leisurely  enough,  and 
stopping  now  and  then  to  pick  herbs,  which  he 
sold  for  medicine  in  the  lower  valleys,  and  I 
could  see  that  he  had  quite  a  bundle  of  them. 

I  called,  but  he  was  too  far  below  to  hear 
me;  then  I  sent  a  big  stone  crashing  down  the 
mountain.  He  heard  this,  though  it  did  not 
come  anywhere  near  him,  and  he  stopped,  look- 
ing up  in  alarm.  He  saw  us,  and  I  pointed  my 
rifle  at  him,  and  then  he  stopped  in  good  earnest. 
We  hurried  on,  and  just  as  the  fog  closed  in 
around  us,  we  reached  him;  if  we  had  delayed 
only  a  few  minutes  longer,  results  might  have 
been  serious. 

There  was  nothing  to  say;  I  simply  ordered 
him  to  take  us  to  camp,  and  keep  his  mouth  shut. 
Whenever  he  spoke,  I  simply  repeated  this  order, 
and  presently  he  became  decidedly  alarmed. 
The  fog  gathered  thicker  and  thicker,  and  by 
the  time  we  reached  camp  it  was  growing  very 
dark.  There  we  found  the  man  I  had  left  to 
cook  frightened  almost  out  of  his  wits,  feeling 
sure  that  we  had  all  been  killed,  and  satisfied 
that  the  Indians  would  soon  come  and  murder 
him. 

He  had  a  lot  of  rice,  peche  peche,  and  veg- 

291 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

etables  cooked  together,  and,  as  brown  sugar 
is  light  diet  for  a  day's  work,  we  all  ate  heartily. 
Then  we  went  to  bed.  I  had  a  frightful 
headache,  and  for  a  time  was  afraid  that  I  would 
be  seriously  sick,  but  after  awhile  I  fell  asleep, 
and  in  the  morning  was  better;  and  what  a 
morning  that  was,  the  air  so  perfect,  the  sky 
so  clear  and  blue,  and  the  mountains  standing 
in  bold  outline,  free  from  all  fog  or  clouds.  It 
seemed  a  shame  to  leave  such  a  place;  we  had 
plenty  of  brown  sugar  and  some  rice  left,  and 
I  hesitated  about  going  down  the  mountains. 
While  I  was  considering,  I  heard  my  guide  say-^ 
ing,  "  Now  we  know  he  is  crazy,"  and  my  ser- 
vant gravely  proposed  to  strap  me  on  the  bull 
with  the  cargo,  and  so  take  me  down  out  of 
danger.  Of  course  they  would  never  have  dared 
to  do  it;  but  when  my  servant  earnestly  ad- 
vised me  to  give  it  up,  and  told  me  that  to  stay 
on  the  paramo  without  proper  food  was  a  real 
danger,  pneumonia  and  fevers  frequently  re- 
sulting, I  decided  to  start  for  the  settlements; 
because  it  was  only  reasonable,  and  the  advice 
of  a  man  who  had  taken  the  risk  of  coming  to 
my  assistance  when  he  thought  I  was  in  danger 
was  worth  considering. 

292 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

Returning  to  Pueblo  Vie  jo  was  not  difficult, 
and  after  resting  a  short  time  I  explored  various 
places  among  the  lower  mountains,  but  without 
particular  incident. 


293 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

AMONG    THE    GOAJIRA    INDIANS 

Having  seen  the  mountains,  I  now  started 
along  the  coast,  in  a  canoe  once  more,  but  this 
time  it  was  quite  safe.  There  were  no  rocks, 
and  the  wind  blew  mostly  off  the  shore,  so  that 
we  were  protected  by  the  land;  and  at  places 
the  sea  was  so  smooth  that  the  men  hitched  a 
long  rope  to  the  canoe,  and  walked  along  the 
shore,  towing  it  after  them,  much  in  the  manner 
of  a  canal-boat.  For  two  days  we  made  our 
way  along  the  coast,  and  then  came  to  the  city 
of  Rio  Hacha,  an  hospitable  place,  a  typical 
trading  town;  where  Indians  came  and  went, 
bringing  produce,  and  the  merchants  were  do- 
ing a  thriving  business,  trading  and  bartering. 

I  found  kind  friends  in  the  city  of  Rio  Hacha, 
but  the  place  itself  was  uninteresting.  The 
country  surrounding  it  was  low  and  arid,  a  des- 
ert almost,  and  I  was  shortly  anxious  to  make 
further  explorations. 

294 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

When  I  proposed  to  go  along  the  coast  of  the 
Goajira  Peninsula,  and  look  up  the  pearl  fisher- 
ies, my  friends  shook  their  heads.  The  Goajira 
Indians  are  dangerous  people,  and  I  have  light 
eyes,  a  feature  particularly  distasteful  to  them, 
and,  according  to  my  friends,  always  rather  in 
disfavour  among  the  aborigines  of  the  tropical 
America. 

The  Goajiras  have  been  known  to  suddenly 
attack  a  person  with  light  eyes,  even  when  meet- 
ing peaceably  for  friendly  barter.  The  cry  is 
raised,  "  Eyes  like  a  cat,"  "  Let  us  kill  it,"  and 
sometimes  they  do  kill  without  further  provoca- 
tion. 

But  in  spite  of  warning,  I  prepared  my  expe- 
dition, and  we  started  late  one  afternoon  from 
the  city  of  Rio  Hacha,  launching  a  clumsy  canoe 
through  the  low  surf,  and  were  presently  making 
good  progress  along  the  coast  under  a  light, 
favourable  wind.  When  night  came,  the  men 
said  we  would  go  on  shore  and  sleep  near  some 
Indian  houses  that  we  could  see  a  little  distance 
inland.  I  asked  if  it  would  not  be  dangerous. 
"  For  you,  yes,"  said  the  leader,  "  but  with  us 
you  will  be  safe."  So  without  further  words 
the  canoe  was  taken  ashore,  and  we  made  our 

S95 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

way  toward  the  Indian  houses,  where  everything 
was  now  dark,  except  the  smouldering  embers 
of  their  fires.  The  moon  was  shining  uncertainly 
through  light,  drifting  clouds,  all  the  country 
was  silent,  and  the  houses  loomed  up  dark  and 
mysterious  above  the  flat,  open  ground  of  the 
plain.  The  men  walked  boldly  to  the  village, 
I  following,  my  head  filled  with  the  stories  I 
had  heard  of  the  savage  nature  and  cruelty 
of  these  Indians.  Presently  we  were  greeted  by 
the  united  howling  and  barking  of  all  the  dogs 
in  the  place,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  the 
houses  a  number  of  men  had  come  out,  with 
guns,  knives,  and  bows  and  arrows  in  their  hands. 
A  word  from  the  leader  of  my  party,  and  grunts 
of  satisfaction  came  from  the  Indians,  who  now 
began  to  look  me  over  unpleasantly,  but  a  few 
words  of  explanation  and  they  seemed  satisfied. 
Then  they  talked  for  awhile  with  my  men,  gave 
'  us  fresh  water  and  fire-wood ;  and  with  these 
we  went  away,  made  a  camp  on  the  beach,  and 
slept  as  if  there  was  no  such  thing  as  an  Indian. 
Very  early  next  morning  I  was  awakened  to 
find  everything  on  board  the  canoe,  and  the  men 
ready  to  start  again.  We  travelled  until  the 
sun   became   very    hot,    and   then    stopped    for 

296 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

breakfast  at  a  convenient  beach,  where  we 
expected  to  rest  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
and  then  go  on  in  the  afternoon,  camping 
again  late  at  night.  Where  we  stopped 
there  were  shallow  lagoons  covering  considerable 
ground,  desolate-looking  places,  but  filled  with 
quantities  of  herons,  egrets,  flamingoes,  etc. ; 
the  different  colours,  brown,  gray,  pink,  and 
white,  standing  out  in  sharp  contrast  against  the 
dull  water  of  the  lagoon.  I  began  to  explore 
about,  but  the  men  objected  decidedly,  saying 
that  if  I  went  out  of  their  sight  I  did  so  at  my 
own  risk ;  and  as  to  their  going  with  me,  it  would 
do  no  good;  they  had  no  control  or  influence 
over  the  Indians  living  near  by ;  that  they  were 
a  bad,  dangerous  lot;  and,  if  any  came  along, 
we  would  take  to  the  canoe,  and  go  on  our  way. 
With  such  a  recommendation  for  the  place,  I 
was  naturally  careful,  though  I  wandered  around 
a  little,  and  did  not  see  even  the  sign  of  an  In- 
dian. After  a  time  we  went  on  again,  continuing 
for  two  days  without  incident  till  we  came  to 
the  place  where  the  Indians  dive  for  pearls. 
Here  we  went  on  shore,  and  waited.  There  was 
nothing  but  a  trail  and  two  canoes  drawn  upon 
the  beach  to  mark  the  place.  After  waiting 
291 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

some  time,  I  wanted  the  men  to  go  call  the  In- 
dians. They  said  that  it  would  be  no  use;  that 
the  Indians  had  seen  us  coming  and  would  come 
themselves  just  as  soon  as  they  were  ready,  and 
not  a  moment  sooner. 

About  an  hour  later  we  saw  a  man  coming 
down  the  trail,  and  then  a  little  time  more,  and 
about  fifteen  to  twenty  men  and  women  had 
gathered  around  us.  After  they  had  talked 
awhile,  my  men  said  that  they  were  satisfied,  and 
would  bring  me  specimens  of  pearls  in  a  short 
time. 

Then  two  of  the  Indians  went  out  in  a  canoe 
and  began  to  fish,  the  others  sitting  indolently 
about.  I  wanted  my  men  to  urge  them  to  begin 
diving  for  pearls ;  but  they  told  me  that  the 
Indian  law  of  hospitality  required  that  they 
should  make  me  a  present  first,  and  so  I  had  to 
wait.  Presently  they  came  in  with  a  basket  of 
fresh  fish,  which  was  duly  presented  to  me,  and 
then  all  the  Indian  men  took  to  the  canoes,  and 
began  vigorously  diving  for  pearl   shells. 

They  worked  with  great  energy  but  without 
system,  each  man  for  himself.  Whoever  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  canoe  used  the  paddle  with- 
out  regard   for  those   who   were   in  the  water, 

298 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

yet,  as  they  were  not  diving  to  very  great  depth, 
none  had  to  swim  far  to  overtake  the  canoe,  and 
all  seemed   contented. 

The  canoes  were  paddled  along  very  slowly, 
the  naked  Indians  peering  over  the  sides  seek- 
ing to  distinguish  bunches  of  pearl  shells  cling- 
ing among  corals  and  marine  plants. 

The  Goajiras  are  stalwart  fellows  of  stocky 
build,  with  great  chest  development  attesting 
their  vigorous  lungs,  yet  their  diving  was  not 
remarkable;  they  simply  splashed  into  the 
water.  I  have  seen  many  American  boys  who 
could  do  much  better,  though  the  continued 
work,  diving  again  and  again  without  stopping 
to  rest,  gave  evidence  of  strength  which  few 
can  rival,  and  I  doubt  whether  any  American 
boy  could  keep  with  the  Indians,  even  though 
they  did  splash  in  more  like  big  Newfoundland 
dogs  than  expert  divers. 

It  was  an  animated  scene  —  four  canoe-loads 
of  Indians,  men  of  magnificent  build,  diving 
continuously  into  water  blue  as  a  clear  sapphire 
and  clear  as  an  inland  lake,  the  intense  sunlight 
of  the  tropics  casting  a  glare  over  it  all,  and 
causing  iridescent  reflections  of  blue  to  go 
shimmering   over   the   water   in   sharp   contrast 

299 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

to  the  dull  green  of  the  grassy  plains  along 
the  shore. 

After  some  hours  the  Indians  came  in  with 
a  large  quantity  of  the  shells,  and  without  fur- 
ther ceremony  began  opening  them,  which  they 
did  very  skilfully,  from  time  to  time  picking 
out  a  pearl  and  putting  it  in  their  mouths. 

As  they  worked,  they  answered  all  my  ques- 
tions about  the  number  of  pearls  they  usually 
secured,  the  depth  of  water  in  which  the  shells 
were  found,  the  size  of  the  shells,  and  many  other 
things. 

When  all  the  shells  were  opened,  trading  be- 
gan. We  had  tobacco,  sugar,  print  cloths, 
worsted,  and  such  things.  The  Indians  would 
bring  a  pearl,  or  perhaps  several  of  them,  and 
make  an  offer  for  exchange,  naming  the  things 
wanted.  Sometimes  we  took  the  offer  and  some- 
times not,  and  when  the  things  asked  were  not 
given,  the  Indians  would  go  away  a  little  dis- 
tance, consult  together,  and  in  a  short  time 
would  come  back  offering  new  combinations  of 
pearls,  and  asking  different  things  in  exchange. 
When  an  Indian  was  successful  in  making  a 
trade,  the  others  looked  on  approvingly,  but 
if  not,  his  defeat  was  greeted  with  shouts  and 

300 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

derisive  laughter.  They  were  perfectly  good- 
natured  about  it,  and  kept  on  consulting  to- 
gether and  offering  till  all  their  pearls  were 
gone. 

There  was  one  Indian  who  had  a  rough  pearl 
not  ^orth  anything,  and  too  old  and  worn  to  be 
of  any  service  as  a  specimen.  He  offered  it 
again  and  again,  but  I  always  declined  it ;  and, 
finally,  he  wanted  one  cigarette  for  it,  but  even 
this  was  declined.  Then  he  set  up  mimic  cry- 
ing, and  made  sport  for  all  his  friends,  and 
especially  for  my  men.  When  he  had  finished, 
he  made  me  a  present  of  the  pearl,  and  I  made 
him  a  present  of  a  package  of  cigarettes,  and 
we  were  both  well  pleased. 

While  the  trading  was  going  on,  the  women 
had  cooked  the  pearl  mollusks,  and  the  Indians 
fell  to  eating  greedily.  I  had  never  known  that 
they  were  good  eating,  and  asked  my  men  if  the 
Indians  would  not  give  me  some.  The  request 
was  not  completed  before  they  hurried  to  me  with 
all  I  could  possibly  eat,  and  urged  me  to  take 
more,  saying  that  they  did  not  know  that  a 
white  man  would  eat  them.  I  did,  though,  and 
found  them  very  good,  in  flavour  resembling 
an  escallop,  a  little  sweeter,  and  with  a  peculiar 

301 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

flavour  that  left  a  harsh  feeling  in  the  mouth 
that  was  not  exactly  pleasant. 

After  the  Indians  went  away,  we-  travelled 
on  for  a  time,  and  finally  stopped  at  another 
place,  where  we  slept  on  shore,  but  did  not  learn 
anything  about  the  pearl  fisheries,  because  the 
wind  was  blowing,  and  the  Indians  could  not 
dive.  Then  we  pushed  on  to  the  Cabo  de  Vela, 
and  slept  in  the  canoe  till  morning,  the  men 
saying  it  was  not  safe  to  land  till  we  could  see 
what  was  going  on.  There  was  considerable 
noise  on  shore  that  could  be  heard  plainly,  and 
the  men  thought  we  would  probably  have  to 
return  without  seeing  the  Indians,  but  in  the 
morning  everything  was  quiet,  and  we  went  up 
to  the  landing-place,  where  there  was  a  single 
house,  and  were  soon  made  welcome.  I  ex- 
changed sugar  that  had  cost  fifteen  cents  for 
a  fat  sheep,  and  we  prepared  to  make  ourselves 
comfortable. 

Nothing  could  be  learned  about  the  pearls, 
and  no  specimens  were  to  be  had,  because  the 
wind  was  still  blowing.  I  wanted  my  men  to 
take  me  on  further  to  examine  a  point  of  rocks, 
but  they  refused,  saying  they  had  come  as  far 
as  had  been  agreed,  and  proposed  to  rest. 

302 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

A  number  of  Indians  had  gathered  around, 
and,  finding  that  one,  an  Indian  boy,  could 
speak  Spanish,  I  made  arrangements  to  have 
four  of  them  take  a  canoe  and  go  with  me  on 
to  see  the  rocks. 

The  leader  of  my  men  looked  aghast.  "  They 
will  certainly  kill  you,"  he  said.  "  I  must  go 
along,  too,  and  yet  I  don't  fancy  the  hot  sun; 
better  not  go.  I  have  brought  you  here,  you 
are  safe,  and  this  is  the  end  of  my  contract." 

I  looked  at  the  Indians  and  liked  their  ap- 
pearance, and  said  to  the  boy :  "  My  man  says 
you  may  kill  me,  but  I  think  I  can  trust  you." 
The  boy  translated,  and  the  Indians  looked 
pleased.  My  men,  seeing  that  I  was  going,  gave 
a  groan  of  protest,  and  prepared  to  follow  me; 
but  I  would  not  have  it,  and  proposed  to  go 
alone  with  those  Indians,  and  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed in  them.  Whatever  I  wanted  to  see, 
and  in  all  that  I  wanted  to  know,  they  were 
ready  to  do  their  best  for  me.  After  I  had  seen 
the  pearl  banks  as  well  as  we  could,  and  had 
visited  their  fishing-grounds,  I  asked  to  be  taken 
out  beyond  the  point  to  where  some  great  waves 
were  breaking  about  a  series  of  detached  rocks, 
and  thousands  of  sea-birds  were  constantly  com- 

303 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

ing  and  going.  The  boy  translated  my  request. 
The  Indians  looked  at  the  rocks  doubtfully, 
but  presently  began  paddling  slowly  toward 
them.  As  we  drew  nearer,  they  seemed  to  gain 
confidence.  "  Nobody  hear,"  said  the  boy,  "  we 
can  go  on,"  and  presently  we  were  riding  the 
great  waves  just  outside  the  circle  of  foam, 
where  they  dashed  against  the  rocks.  Then 
from  behind  one  of  the  rocks  came  three  canoe 
loads  of  unfriendly  Indians.  They  were  intent 
on  fishing,  and  did  not  notice  us  at  first.  "  Keep 
still,"  whispered  the  boy,  "  and  we  will  get  away 
behind  the  rocks."  Immediately  the  Indians  saw 
us.  "  Go  forward,"  I  said,  making  a  violent 
gesture  with  my  hand,  to  indicate  the  way  I 
wished  to  go.  The  men  obeyed  immediately; 
perhaps  they  thought  that  I  had  some  special 
means  of  defence  to  be  so  confident;  but,  in 
truth,  my  heart  was  beating  the  wrong  way 
from  fright;  sometimes  up  in  my  throat,  and 
again  down  in  my  boots.  A  moment  of  sus- 
pense, and  the  canoes  came  together.  I  stood 
up,  looked  the  men  over  gravely,  asked  to  see 
their  fish,  and  told  the  boy  to  buy  some  for  me, 
which  he  did.  Perhaps  my  apparent  confidence 
impressed  them,  and  for  a  time  we  floated  lazily 

304 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

on  the  waves,  I  keeping  them  busy  answering 
questions,  and  presently,  while  we  were  still  in- 
terested in  each  other,  I  motioned  to  my  men 
to  go  on,  and  they  obeyed  immediately.  For 
a  moment  or  two  the  other  Indians  watched  us 
intently;  then  they  went  quietly  to  work  again 
fishing,  and  the  danger  was  over. 

I  asked  the  boy  to  take  me  on  shore,  where 
we  walked  about  a  little  examining  the  rocks 
and  getting  specimens.  The  Indians  would 
not  let  me  go  far  from  the  boat,  saying  that 
across  the  ridge  they  had  enemies,  and  it  would 
not  be  safe.  Soon  I  had  all  the  specimens  I 
wanted,  and  we  went  back  to  the  canoe;  and 
after  paddling  about  a  little  more,  went  over 
to  the  hut  again,  where  my  men  seemed  much 
relieved  at  our  coming.  I  paid  the  men  in  sugar, 
fifteen  cents'  worth  to  each,  and  gave  the  boy 
a  string  of  beads  with  his  share  of  the  sugar. 
He  was  much  pleased,  but  presently  came  and 
asked  me  gravely  if  I  would  allow  him  to  give 
the  beads  to  his  little  sister,  as  he  had  a  string 
for  himself,  and  then  he  added,  apologetically: 
"  The  beads  are  a  suitable  kind  for  girls,  but 
not  for  men."  I  was  surprised  to  find  such  sen- 
sibility and  honour  in  an  Indian  boy,  and  gave 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

him  two  other  strings  of  beads  for  his  httle 
sister,  and  a  bright-coloured  handkerchief  for 
himself,  which  was  quite  suited  to  a  man's  use, 
and  he  was  well  contented. 

Presently  he  came  running  up  to  me,  saying 
that  his  father  would  be  willing  to  sell  him, 
and  wouldn't  I  like  to  buy  him  for  myself ;  and 
he  began  telling  me  all  the  work  he  could  do, 
and  how  well  he  would  serve  me;  but  I  could 
not  take  him,  and  he  was  deeply  disappointed. 
Perhaps  I  made  a  mistake.  He  was  a  strong, 
well-built  lad  of  fifteen  to  sixteen,  and  a  faith- 
ful, daring  companion,  such  as  he  promised  to 
become,  cannot  often  be  found. 

A  few  days  later  I  returned  to  Rio  Hacha  and 
then  went  on  to  other  places. 


306 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

BAMON,    A    STORY    OF    THE    GOAJIRAS 

After  a  short  rest,  I  was  ready  to  set 
out  again,  and  went  to  make  a  brief  study  of  a 
series  of  coal  deposits  about  fifty  miles  south 
of  Rio  Hacha.  There  I  became  acquainted 
with  a  family  of  Indians,  from  whom  I  learned 
rather  an  interesting  fragment  of  tribal  history 
which  seemed  worth  recording.  I  heard  the 
story  in  disconnected  portions,  while  the  Indians 
told  me  of  causes  and  dangers  which  had  forced 
them  to  flee  from  their  own  country,  and  seek 
refuge  in  this  distant  place.  To  make  the  ac- 
count intelligible,  I  must  first  give  some  details 
of  their  every-day  life  and  tribal  organization. 

The  Goajiras  are  different  from  most  of  the 
South  American  Indians,  and  more  resemble  the 
sturdy  aborigines  of  the  north ;  there  is  a  vague 
legend  among  them  that  many  generations  ago 

307 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

their  people  came  from  over  the  sea,  and  con- 
quered the  country.  They  are  divided  into 
clans  or  castes,  and  again  into  families.  The 
clan  relationship  is  not  very  strong,  but  the 
family  ties  are  rigidly  maintained,  and  to  offend 
one  member  of  a  family  is  to  make  enemies  of 
them  all. 

Unfortunately,  they  are  of  a  quarrelsome  na- 
ture, bloody  contests  are  frequent,  and  some- 
times whole  families  are  exterminated.  One 
could  write  much  in  regard  to  the  customs  "of 
these  Indians,  but,  as  I  am  writing  of  adventures 
only,  I  will  tell  only  what  I  heard  of  one  of 
their  fights,  filling  in  some  of  the  details,  because 
the  story  was  but  imperfectly  told  to  me. 

The  names  of  the  clans  only  are  given,  but 
I  do  not  wish  to  convey  the  impression  that 
these  Indians  war  with  each  other  according 
to  clan  or  caste,  for  this  is  not  the  case;  their 
warfare  is  generally  among  families,  though 
frequently  the  fighting  will  assume  quite  seri- 
ous proportions;  and  two  villages,  representing 
different  families,  will  sometimes  fight  till  one 
or  the  other  is  destroyed  utterly.  Their  quar- 
rels principally  originate  through  their  eager- 
ness to  possess  a  number  of  wives.    Among  them 

308 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

a  man  Is  estimated  for  his  inherited  wealth;  to 
have  made  money  gives  only  inferior  prestige, 
but  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  importance 
attached  to  the  possession  of  a  number  of  wives, 
and  a  leading  man  among  these  Indians  will 
maintain  as  many  as  he  can.  To  secure  wives, 
however,  he  must  be  successful  beyond  the  aver- 
age. One  wife  is  easily  obtained,  but  to  have 
more  is  something  of  an  achievement.  In  the 
first  place,  when  a  Goajira  Indian  marries,  he  is 
required  to  provide  an  endowment  for  his  wife, 
which  must  be  paid  in  advance  to  her  uncles, 
who  put  it  out  in  cattle,  to  be  carefully  kept 
on  the  range  till  such  time  as  the  wife  is  di- 
vorced, or  becomes  a  widow;  then  the  property 
is  turned  over  to  her  and  her  children,  with  the 
increase,  and  it  usually  amounts  to  a  considera- 
ble provision.  A  Goajira  Indian  who  desires  to 
marry  must  not  only  be  acceptable  to  the  girl's 
family,  but  the  endowment  he  provides  must 
be  sufficient  to  support  her  and  her  children  In 
the  condition  to  which  she  was  born.  Having 
once  provided  for  the  wife  and  her  children.  In 
advance,  he  can  divorce  her  by  simply  directing 
that  she  take  her  property  and  go  home  to  her 
mother;  a  woman  then  feels  herself  disgraced, 
309 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

and  this  serves  to  make  them  careful,  and  their 
domestic  relations  are  well  ordered,  though  the 
men  have  the  most  absolute  authority. 

The  strength  and  position  of  a  family  is 
increased  by  the  number  of  wives  provided  for 
among  them,  consequently  those  who  are  enemies 
try  to  prevent  marriages,  while  those  who  are 
friends  endeavour  to  promote  them;  and  the 
man  who  is  to  be  married  must  have  the  courage 
to  contend  for  his  wife,  as  well  as  the  position 
to  make  him  acceptable,  and  the  means  to  pro- 
vide for  her. 

The  Puinee  are  one  of  the  strongest,  as  well 
as  one  of  the  most  cruel,  of  all  the  castes  of  the 
Goajiras;  and  when  Lorenzo,  son  of  Lorenzo, 
the  Chief,  proposed  to  take  to  himself  a  second 
wife  from  a  family  of  the  Muichagua  caste, 
belonging  to  a  powerful  village  to  the  westward 
of  their  country,  the  men  of  an  Uriana  village, 
living  between  these  two,  determined  that  it 
should  not  be  allowed ;  for  these  Puinee  and  the 
Uriana  villages  had  been  at  enmity,  even  in  the 
times  remembered  by  the  oldest  Indians. 

The  Muichagua  village  was  some  distance 
from  that  of  the  Puinee,  yet  Lorenzo  went  and 
made    all    the    arrangements    among    his    new 

310 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

friends,  and  then  returned  in  safety  to  receive 
the  congratulations  of  his  own  people.  Then 
he  went  a  second  time,  successfully  passing  all 
the  Uriana  villages,  and  returned  again,  and 
in  his  village  there  was  more  rejoicing  because 
Lorenzo,  the  younger,  gave  promise  of  equal- 
ling the  daring  and  cunning  of  his  father, 
Lorenzo,  the  Chief. 

But  the  men  of  the  Uriana  village  were  still 
to  be  dealt  with,  and  did  not  remain  idle. 
"  What  can  Lorenzo  want  of  his  second  wife 
before  he  is  twenty  years  old.''  "  they  said. 

"  We  must  kill  him  or  the  girl,"  suggested 
one  of  the  younger  men. 

"  No,  blood  for  blood,  that  will  make  the 
Muichagua  village  our  enemies." 

"  But  they  will  be  our  enemies  as  soon  as 
she  marries  Lorenzo." 

"  Yet,  if  we  can  kill  Lorenzo,  it  will  not 
be  '  Let  him  take  a  wife  in  his  own  village,  and 
not  increase  our  enemies.'  The  Muichagua  vil- 
lage cannot  lawfully  avenge  his  death  till  after 
he  is  married.     We  must  kill  him  first." 

This  was  the  counsel  of  the  older  men,  and 
so  it  was  determined.  Yet  how.?  Lorenzo,  the 
younger,  was  a  dangerous  man,  and  the  Puinee 

311 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

village  was  strong.  Finally,  it  was  decided  that. 
Ramon,  a  daring  member  of  the  Uriana  village, 
should  go  to  the  Muichagua  country,  and  wait 
for  an  opportunity  to  meet  Lorenzo,  the 
younger,  when  he  went  again  to  see  his  intended 
bride.  Ramon  had  two  wives  and  two  sons; 
one  a  rather  stupid  fellow  of  about  eighteen, 
and  the  other,  a  boy  of  twelve  or  fourteen, 
straight  as  an  arrow,  and  as  wicked  a  little  In- 
dian as  ever  ran  naked  over  the  plains  of  the 
Goajira  country.  Little  Ramon  was  all  excite- 
ment, and  wanted  to  go  with  his  father  to  help 
kill  their  enemy,  but  he  had  to  content  himself 
with  helping  to  prepare  the  poisoned  arrows, 
polishing  his  father's  stout  bow,  and  carefully 
oiling  the  string. 

Ramon  was  shortly  prepared  for  his  under- 
taking. His  long  hair  was  smoothed  out,  and 
a  plaited  band  of  straw,  like  the  rim  of  an 
unfinished  hat,  was  placed  on  his  head,  with 
a  long  red  feather  from  the  tail  of  a  macaw 
standing  exact  at  one  side.  He  wore  a  string 
of  coral  beads,  and  among  them  hung  three 
bullet-shaped  charms  made  of  red  quartz,  and 
known  among  the  Indians  as  tumas ;  these  tumas 
are  of  various  designs,  and  are  found  among 

312 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  ancient  groves  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  de 
Santa  Marta  Mountains  to  the  westward  of  the 
Goajira  country,  and  certain  rare  shapes  are 
prized  by  these  Indians  beyond  any  other  of 
their  possessions. 

Ramon  owned  three  of  the  bullet-shaped  type, 
and  wore  them  with  great  pride.  Besides  the 
beads,  he  wore  a  knitted  belt  of  red  and  black 
worsted,  which  held  a  narrow  breech-cloth  in 
place;  otherwise  he  was  entirely  naked.  A 
bunch  of  poisoned  arrows  was  thrust  between 
his  belt  and  skin  on  the  left  side;  and  with 
a  stout  bow  in  his  hand  he  set  out,  followed 
by  a  slave  who  carried  a  bundle  containing  two 
robes  of  fresh  white  cotton  embroidered  around 
the  edge  with  red  worsted. 

There  was  little  ceremony  of  leave-taking, 
and  Ramon  was  soon  striding  over  the  open 
country  toward  a  thick  group  of  tall  cactus 
plants,  and  then  on  into  a  grove  of  acacia  and 
divi-divi  bushes;  and  after  about  half  a  day's 
travelling  he  arrived  at  the  Muichagua  village. 
As  he  went  in  among  their  houses,  there  was  a 
loud  barking  of  dogs;  children  ran  screaming 
to  their  mothers,  but  Ramon  walked  on  calmly 
unconcerned.     He  was  not  exactly  among  ene- 

313 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

mies,  nor  were  they  enthusiastic  friends;  yet 
he  had  nothing  to  do  but  go  to  the  principal 
house,  give  his  name  and  position,  announce 
himself  as  a  guest,  and  he  was  perfectly  safe. 
More  than  this,  everything  that  could  be  done 
was  done  for  his  entertainment ;  the  law  of  hos- 
pitality demanded  it.  Whoever  did  him  harm 
did  harm  to  his  entertainers  also,  and  amid  aU 
the  feasting  there  was  no  appearance  of  what 
was  in  the  thoughts  of  Ramon,  as  well  as  in  the 
thoughts  of  those  who  entertained  him;  but 
this  much  was  certain,  no  Puinee  nor  Uriana 
man  could  fight  in  the  Muichagua  village  while 
both  were  guests. 

Meantime,  Lorenzo,  the  younger,  was  expect- 
ing trouble.  The  Puinee  are  noted  more  for 
cruelty  and  cunning  than  for  valiant  achieve- 
ments, yet  when  they  are  in  battle  none  are 
more  daring.  It  was  natural  to  suppose  that 
their  enemies  would  be  preparing  mischief,  and 
Lorenzo  was  anxious  to  take  a  body  of  men  and 
attack  their  village,  so  as  to  force  them  into 
acquiescence ;  but  Lorenzo,  the  chief,  was  grow- 
ing old,  and  was  more  averse  to  open  conflict 
than  ever.     "  Kill  an  enemy  whenever  you  can 


314 


AND    ACROSS     PANAMA 

catch  him."    "  We  are  killing  more  of  them  than 
they  of  us."     "  Let  it  go,"  he  said. 

But  Lorenzo,  the  younger,  was  not  contented, 
and  he  determined  to  lay  a  trap  for  some  of  their 
Uriana  enemies.  So  calling  one  of  his  slaves, 
he  bade  him  go  to  the  Muichagua  village,  de- 
liver a  message  at  the  house  where  his  intended 
wife  was  living,  and  return.  Then  Lorenzo 
secured  the  assistance  of  ten  of  his  friends,  tell- 
ing them  that  he  was  sure  that  their  enemies  were 
watching  the  Muichagua  village,  and  would 
follow  to  attack  his  messenger  while  he  was 
returning;  not  while  he  was  going,  because 
that  would  be  an  offence  to  the  Muichagua  vil- 
lage. The  messenger  was  a  good  runner,  and 
could  probably  keep  well  ahead  of  his  pursuers, 
that  is,  unless  they  were  mounted,  of  which  there 
was  small  probability;  and  it  would  be  an  easy 
thing  to  kill  some  of  them,  as  they  passed  by, 
intent  on  catching  the  messenger;  then,  with  a 
part  killed,  the  others  could  be  easily  overcome 
and  disposed  of.  This  plan  suited  Lorenzo's 
friends,  and,  sending  the  messenger  on  ahead, 
they  cautiously  followed,  and  in  a  few  hours 
had  hidden  themselves   among  the   acacia   and 


315 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

divi-divi   bushes   along  the   road   to   the   Mui- 
chagua  village.     There  they  waited. 

Ramon  was  quietly  enjoying  himself  when 
the  messenger  appeared.  With  true  Indian  in- 
difference, much  resembling  that  of  the  North 
American  Indians,  they  looked  at  each  other, 
and  then  went  on  with  their  own  affairs.  But 
in  a  few  minutes  Ramon  got  up  and  announced 
his  departure,  returning  thanks  for  the  hospi- 
tahty  he  had  received,  and  without  more  words 
walked  rapidly  away.  The  slave  saw  him  go. 
and  was  alarmed,  yet  he  was  partially  of  good 
blood,  and  after  considering  a  moment  deter- 
mined to  make  a  bold  strike  for  rank  in  his 
village ;  and,  having  finished  his  errand,  started 
immediately  to  follow  Ramon,  but  his  adversary 
had  disappeared.  The  slave  looked  cautiously 
about  him  while  following  on  down  the  trail, 
and  after  a  time  came  in  sight  of  the  acacia 
bushes  where  his  masters  were  hidden.  Then 
over  toward  the  south  country  he  saw  three 
crouching  forms  following  after  him.  He  knew 
it  was  the  enemy,  and  his  first  thought  was  one 
of  exultation  at  the  opportunity  of  distinction; 
he  would  fight  them  all;  but  if  he  had  been 
endowed  with  the  courage  for  such  a  conflict 

316 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

he  would  long  ago  have  won  a  place  as  the  equal 
of  those  he  served.  For  a  time  he  stood  his 
ground,  but  as  the  crouching  forms  drew  nearer, 
he  began  to  think  that  three  to  one  was  a  too 
dangerous  combat,  so  the  next  instant  he  took 
to  his  heels,  and  fled  down  the  trail,  his  enemies 
following  him,  with  Ramon  in  the  lead. 

On  they  came  directly  into  the  trap.  The 
messenger  ran  past  his  friends  without  even 
knowing  of  their  presence;  then  came  his  pur- 
suers, and  instantly  a  flight  of  poisoned  arrows 
from  among  the  acacia  bushes  came  singing 
among  them.  There  was  no  time  to  escape. 
Three  arrows  struck  Ramon,  and  he  fell  for- 
ward on  his  face,  tried  to  rise,  but  sank  down 
again  on  his  side,  writhing  in  the  agony  of  a 
poisoned  death.  One  of  the  men  was  slightly 
wounded,  and  his  end  would  be  the  more  terri- 
ble. The  other  escaped,  and  with  his  wounded 
companion  hurried  toward  their  village. 

Then  Lorenzo  and  his  friends,  seeing  whom 
they  had  killed,  gathered  around  the  prostrate 
form  of  their  enemy  with  cruel  shouts  of  delight, 
and  gave  no  heed  to  the  retreating  foe.  Ramon 
knew  that  his  end  had  come,  and  he  closed  his 
lips  and  made  no  plea  for  mercy,  for  it  is  not 

317 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

known  among  the  Goajira  Indians.  All  his 
frame  trembled  with  the  agony  of  the  poison. 
He  was  going  fast,  and  as  he  died  Lorenzo  set 
one  foot  in  his  face  and  derided  his  sufferings. 
Then  in  a  little  while  it  was  all  over,  and  Lo- 
renzo's party  started  in  haste  for  their  own 
country. 

Meanwhile  the  Uriana  men  who  had  escaped 
spread  the  news  of  the  death  of  Ramon,  and  his 
people,  wild  with  passion,  started  at  once  in 
quest  of  vengeance.  Lorenzo  expected  this,  and 
hurried  on  toward  his  own  country,  but  when 
they  had  nearly  reached  the  barren  hills  that 
marked  the  beginning  of  their  lands  they  heard 
a  company  of  horsemen  following  rapidly  after 
them,  and  at  least  thirty  mounted  men,  armed 
with  poisoned  arrows,  were  on  their  track. 
Lorenzo  saw  that  there  must  be  a  fight,  and 
made  every  effort  to  gain  the  first  hills  of  his 
own  country  before  it  should  begin,  and  in  this 
he  was  successful.  After  passing  over  the  first 
ridge  he  called  a  halt.  Behind  him  he  could 
see  his  pursuers,  and  must  lay  his  plans  quickly. 
He  ordered  two  of  the  men  to  go  over  to  the 
next  ridge  about  three  hundred  yards  distant, 
stop  when  half-way  up,  and  wait  till  their  ene- 

318 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

mies  came  over  the  first  hill,  and  as  they  came 
in  sight,  to  begin  struggling  on  as  if  completely 
exhausted.  Then  he  hid  the  other  Indians  on 
each  side  of  the  road  and  waited.  Presently 
thirty  or  more  horsemen  came  over  the  crest  of 
the  first  hill,  and  hesitated,  as  if  doubtful  about 
entering  their  enemies'  country,  even  though 
they  were  mounted;  but  seeing  the  two  appar- 
ently exhausted  fugitives,  they  set  up  a  cry 
of  "  Blood  for  blood,"  and  started  after  them, 
sending  a  shower  of  poisoned  arrows  as  they 
went.  The  two  men  gained  the  top  of  the  hill, 
and,  lying  down  to  protect  themselves,  began 
to  drop  poisoned  arrows  among  their  enemies. 
This  was  not  expected,  and  threw  the  pursuers 
into  some  confusion;  and  immediately  from  all 
around  came  poisoned  arrows  that  fell  with 
deadly  effect.  They  were  caught  in  a  trap,  and 
had  no  means  of  knowing  with  how  many  they 
must  contend ;  but  their  thirst  for  blood  was 
such  that  they  crowded  on,  and  killed  the  two 
Indians  ahead  of  them;  then,  with  many  of 
their  party  wounded  and  dying,  they  turned 
along  the  crest  of  the  hill,  taking  a  little  used 
trail  for  their  own  country.  Lorenzo  was  not 
strong  enough  to  continue  the  fight,  so  contented 
319 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

himself  with  such  trophies  as  he  could  collect; 
these  consisted  of  three  strings  of  beads,  each 
with  a  bullet-shaped  tuma  taken  from  as  many 
dead  enemies,  and  with  the  three  taken  from 
the  body  of  Ramon  made  six  most  precious 
trophies.  Lorenzo's  people  prized  a  different 
shaped  tuma  more  highly,  but  these  they  had 
taken  were  the  kind  most  valued  by  their  ene- 
mies, and  were  considered  trophies  worthy  of 
any  fight. 

Taking  up  their  dead,  they  went  directly  to 
their  own  village,  where  the  sight  of  the  trophies 
and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  so  inflamed  the  feel- 
ings of  their  kinsmen  that  even  Lorenzo,  the 
Chief,  was  ready  for  a  direct  attack  on  the  vil- 
lage of  their  enemies,  who  now  were  most  prob- 
ably all  in  confusion.  The  plans  were  quickly 
made,  and  late  that  afternoon  some  forty  men, 
naked  except  for  a  narrow  belt  and  breech-cloth, 
well  mounted,  and  armed  with  bows  and  poi- 
soned arrows,  were  on  the  road  seeking  blood; 
and  toward  sunset  three  parties,  into  which  the 
company  had  been  divided,  began  to  close  in 
on  their  enemy's  village.  Little  Ramon,  son 
of  the  Chief  who  had  been  killed,  was  out  with 
his  mother  among  some  cactus  plants  beyond 

S20 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  village,  to  wrap  his  father's  body  in  hides, 
where  it  would  remain  for  a  year  or  more,  till 
the  flesh  had  rotted  away,  after  which  the  bones 
would  be  gathered  up,  washed,  and  placed  in  a 
clay  jar,  to  be  set  aside  with  others  of  the  fam- 
ily in  some  secret  place.  They  had  not  suc- 
ceeded very  well,  and  were  planning  how  to 
make  the  bundle  more  secure,  when  little  Ramon 
saw  their  enemies  while  they  were  yet  some  dis- 
tance away.  Quick  as  thought,  he  hid  his 
mother  in  a  dry  gully,  and  then  ran  to  give  the 
alarm.  A  shower  of  arrows  was  sent  after  him, 
but  he  was  too  far  away,  and  he  ran  on,  reach- 
ing the  village  some  distance  ahead  of  the  enemy, 
and  gave  the  alarm;  but  so  many  of  the  men 
were  dying  from  poisoned  wounds  that  there 
seemed  little  hope  for  successful  defence.  The 
women  and  children  ran  screaming  to  the  thick- 
ets, only  to  be  cut  down  as  their  enemies  closed 
in  on  them.  None  were  spared,  except  the 
younger  children,  who  were  taken  to  be  brought 
up  as  slaves,  and  who  were  made  to  look  on  at 
the  trembling  forms  of  their  parents  and  rela- 
tives, writhing  on  the  ground  as  the  poison 
burned  through  their  veins  in  an  agony  of  death. 
The  invaders  were  everywhere  successful.  The 
321 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

village  made  a  brave  defence,  but  its  people  were 
outnumbered,  and  it  was  not  long  before  all  were 
killed,  but  not  without  inflicting  some  loss  on 
their  enemies,  and  a  number  of  the  best  men 
among  the  invaders  lay  trembling  in  the  agonies 
of  the  poison. 

But  little  Ramon  was  not  among  the  killed; 
before  the  fight  had  begun  he  had  taken  his 
other  mother  and  stupid  brother  down  a  small 
gully  near  the  village  to  the  place  where  he  had 
hidden  his  own  mother ;  after  that  he  would  have 
hurried  back  to  help  in  the  fight,  but  his  people 
held  him,  saying  he  was  far  too  young.  Then 
while  the  combat  was  at  its  highest  they  all  made 
their  escape  out  through  the  gully  to  the  bush 
country  beyond,  and  as  night  came  on  they  fled 
away  in  the  darkness.  A  few  days  later  they 
stopped  at  a  remote  place  near  the  edge  of  the 
Spanish  country,  where  their  murderous  enemies 
would  probably  never  follow  them.  Here  they 
were  joined  later  by  two  or  three  men  who  had 
not  been  at  home  when  the  village  was  raided, 
and  several  women  with  five  or  six  children  who 
had  escaped  by  hiding  in  the  gullies.  These  were 
all  that  were  left  of  a  once  prosperous  Indian 
village. 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

The  invaders  after  their  victory  returned  tri: 
umphant  to  their  villages  beyond  the  Cabo  de 
Vela.  Here  some  days  were  spent  in  feasting 
on  the  provisions  taken  from  their  enemies,  and 
then  word  was  sent  that  Lorenzo  would  go  in 
three  days  to  take  away  his  wife. 

Preparations  for  this  event  were  actively  car- 
ried forward,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  third 
day  Lorenzo,  dressed  in  new  white  robes  em- 
broidered with  red  worsted  along  the  edge,  with 
a  fine  collection  of  tuma  beads  hanging  around 
his  neck,  a  clean  band  of  plaited  straw  about 
his  hair,  and  a  gaudy  feather  from  the  tail  of  a 
macaw  standing  erect  on  the  left  side,  was  ready, 
with  a  party  of  friends  similarly  dressed,  to  go 
and  claim  his  wife.  He  had  a  number  of  slaves 
with  him,  and  a  fine  herd  of  sixty  cows  which 
were  to  be  the  price  or  security  for  his  wife. 
This  was  the  highest  provision  required  by  their 
laws,  but  she  whom  he  was  to  take  was  a  person 
of  quality,  as  well  as  an  Indian  girl  of  rare 
beauty. 

The  thirty  miles  between  them  and  the  village 
of  the  bride  presented  but  little  difficulty;  the 
Indians  were  well  mounted,  while  the  cattle  ac- 
customed  to  running  wild   are  easily  kept  at 

323 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

a  good  pace.  The  company  went  slowly  at 
first  among  the  low  hills  and  barren  ridges  of 
their  own  country,  then  more  rapidly  over  the 
open  plains  where  their  enemies  had  lived,  and 
finally  came  to  the  divi-divi  bushes  beyond  which 
was  the  village  they  were  seeking.  Here  they 
continued  on,  but  at  a  slower  pace,  among  the 
narrow  trails  that  crossed  and  recrossed  in  every 
direction.  At  times  they  passed  isolated  ranchos, 
whose  inmates  immediately  joined  them,  till  the 
little  party,  now  swelled  to  a  goodly  company, 
arrived  at  the  village,  where  they  were  noisily 
welcomed.  Then  the  provision  and  security  for 
the  well-being  of  his  wife  was  delivered  by 
Lorenzo,  and  received  and  taken  note  of  by ' 
her  uncles  on  her  mother's  side,  who  pronounced ' 
it  liberal  beyond  all  precedent,  and  of  the  finest 
young  cattle.  Then  feasting  began,  while  little 
parties  of  men,  women,  and  children  from  the 
surrounding  country  kept  arriving  to  join  in 
the  celebration,  till  a  large  company  was  gath- 
ered together.  Then  the  chief  man  among  the 
bride's  people,  who  was  also  her  father,  said: 
"  Lorenzo  has  provided  well  for  the  daughter 
of  our  village.  He  must  not  return  empty- 
handed  to  his  own  country;    let  him  choose  a 

324 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

horse  from  among  the  best  that  we  have."  At 
these  words  the  slaves  ran  and  drove  up  a  herd 
of  thirty  or  forty  horses,  and  Lorenzo  picked 
out  one,  a  well-built,  steel  gray  animal  that 
promised  to  do  him  good  service.  Then  the 
chief  said :  "  And  the  friends  of  Lorenzo,  he 
will  remember  us  better  when  he  rides  to  battle 
if  our  horses  carry  his  friends.  Let  him  choose 
a  horse  for  each  of  them."  Then  the  eight 
or  ten  men  who  had  accompanied  him  began 
to  select  from  among  the  horses.  It  was  a  very 
businesslike  transaction,  but  after  active  inves- 
tigation under  Lorenzo's  direction  it  was  com- 
pleted to  their  mutual  satisfaction,  and  feast- 
ing went  on  again.  There  was  roast  meat,  curd 
cheese,  parched  corn,  pearl  oysters,  fish,  roasted 
meat,  and  a  small  allowance  of  tobacco  and  rum 
for  each  important  man  in  the  party ;  but  only  a 
small  quantity,  because  these  things  were  diffi- 
cult to  obtain.  Then  more  presents  were  given 
to  the  bridegroom,  and  feasting  was  continued 
till  everything  was  eaten  that  had  been  pro- 
vided for  them,  and  when  it  was  evident  that 
no  more  presents  were  to  be  had,  the  visitors 
gathered  their  things  together,  took  leave  of 
their  allies,  and  marched  off,  the  slaves  driving 
325 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

the  new  horses  and  carrying  the  presents.  Lo- 
renzo rode  by  his  new  wife,  admiring  her  beauty, 
but  also  taking  special  note  of  five  large  tumas 
that  she  was  wearing.  It  was  well  along  in 
the  evening  when  they  arrived  at  their  viUage, 
and  as  every  one  was  tired  all  were  soon  asleep. 

The  next  morning  lazy  Indians  could  be  seen 
idling  about  the  place,  the  women  doing  a  little 
work,  or  picking  lice  out  of  each  other's  hair, 
the  slaves  tending  the  cattle,  while  most  of  the 
men  were  curled  up  in  their  little  hammocks 
asleep,  like  animals.  To  all  appearance  they 
were  a  lazy,  dirty,  stupid  lot  of  people,  too 
indolent  to  ever  think  of  rousing  themselves 
or  to  do  harm  to  anybody.  This  same  morn- 
ing, away  off  near  the  base  of  the  Black  Andes, 
the  remnant  of  their  enemies  were  gathered  to- 
gether looking  to  little  Ramon  as  their  coming 
Chief.  It  was  a  hard  struggle  for  existence, 
but  they  did  get  along.  They  were  out  of  the 
track  of  Indian  parties,  and  near  enough  to  the 
Spanish  country  to  enable  them  to  seek  protec- 
tion if  they  were  discovered;  but  of  this  there 
was  little  danger,  because  their  enemies  be- 
longed to  the  seacoast  far  away. 

While    I   was    examining   the    coal-mines    of 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

which  I  spoke  at  the  beginning  of  this  chap- 
ter, my  guide  said,  "  There  is  a  party  of  fugi- 
tive Goajira  Indians  hving  a  Kttle  beyond  here. 
Perhaps  you  would  hke  to  visit  them." 

I  replied  at  once  that  I  would,  and  asked  how 
it  was  that  they  were  fugitives. 

"  There  was  a  big  fight  over  toward  the 
cape,"  he  said,  "  and  these  people  are  all  who 
escaped  out  of  the  party  that  got  the  worst 
of  it.  They  are  a  bad  lot,  those  Goajiras,  and 
it's  a  pity  that  they  don't  keep  on  fighting  till 
the  whole  of  them  are  killed  off." 

We  soon  arrived  at  the  Indian  village,  which 
consisted  of  three  little,  rectangular,  thatched 
huts,  made  by  driving  posts  in  the  ground. 
Our  appearance  caused  some  excitement  at  first, 
and  one  of  the  two  men  belonging  there  caught 
up  a  bow  and  bunch  of  poisoned  arrows,  but 
seeing  that  we  came  as  friends  the  arms  were 
laid  aside,  and  we  were  made  welcome. 

Evidently  they  were  poor  Indians,  and  not 
very  interesting;  but  there  was  a  fine-looking 
elderly  woman  and  a  very  pretty  young  girl. 
Presently,  an  almost  naked  boy  of  some  four- 
teen years  came  walking  gravely  into  the  vil- 
lage.   He  carried  a  bow  and  arrows  and  a  bunch 

327 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

of  game  that  he  had  killed.  He  came  at  once 
to  welcome  us,  handed  the  game  to  the  elderly 
woman,  went  and  put  on  a  well-worn  robe,  and 
then  coming  to  us  again,  stood  gravely,  but  said 
nothing.  He  wore  his  robe  with  so  much  un- 
assumed,  quiet  dignity,  and  was  such  a  splendid 
boy,  with  muscles  appearing  as  strong  as  steel 
wires,  that  I  was  interested  in  him  immediately. 
Then  he  asked  me  what  I  had  come  to  do. 

I  told  him  of  the  specimens  I  wanted,  and 
his  face  lit  up  with  boyish  delight,  and  all  his 
dignity  was  forgotten,  as  he  eagerly  proposed 
to  accompany  me,  and  show  where  I  could  find 
all  sorts  of  interesting  things. 

His  robe  was  quickly  changed  for  belt  and 
breech-cloth,  and  as  he  gathered  up  his  bow 
and  arrows,  I  asked  why  he  did  not  take  some 
of  the  long  ones  with  slender  black  tips. 

"  Those  are  poisoned  arrows,"  he  said,  and 
brought  one  to  show  me.  I  put  out  my  hand 
to  take  it,  but  he  drew  back,  saying,  "  It  is 
best  not  even  to  touch  it;  the  white  strangers 
have  thin  skins,  and  the  poison  is  strong." 

Then  as  we  went  away  toward  the  river,  I 
asked  him  why  he  wanted  so  many  poisoned 
arrows.      "  We  have   enemies,"   he   said,   "  and 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  time  may  come  when  we  can  gather  some 
men  together  and  use  them.  I  want  many,  but 
they  are  hard  to  make,  and  it  is  slow  work." 

Then  he  told  me  how  he  had  to  search  till  he 
caught  three  of  the  most  poisonous  snakes:  a 
rattlesnake,  a  coral-snake,  and  a  golden  mouth, 
a  kind  of  moccasin;  these  were  all  shut  in  a 
clay  jar  till  they  bit  each  other  to  death.  Then 
the  cover  was  luted  on  with  clay,  and  the  jar 
was  buried  for  fifteen  days,  and  when  the  snakes 
became  a  putrid  mass,  with  which  the  deadly 
poison  from  their  fangs  was  mingled  and  fer- 
mented, the  arrow-tips  of  bane  or  hard  wood 
were  dipped  in  it,  and  allowed  to  dry,  and  then 
redipped  till  they  became  coated  with  a  poison 
so  virulent  that  the  least  scratch  would  cause  the 
most  violent  death.  On  the  way  out  the  boy, 
Ramon,  stopped  to  show  me  a  jar  of  the  poison 
that  he  had  under  preparation.  Then  I  asked 
him  about  the  enemies  he  was  so  anxious  to  kill, 
and  he  told  me  the  story  that  I  have  written, 
and  as  we  walked  along  he  showed  me  so  much 
about  the  country  that  was  interesting,  and 
found  so  many  specimens  that  I  wanted,  that  I 
said,  "  Ramon,  I  wish  I  had  a  boy  Uke  you  to 
work  for  me." 

329 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

"Do  you?"  he  answered,  all  eagerness. 
"  Would  you  buy  me,  and  teach  me  how  to 
use  a  rifle  against  my  enemies,  and  be  wise  like 
a  white  man?  " 

I  explained  that  I  could  not  buy  him,  but  he 
still  pressed  the  matter,  saying,  "  I  would  not 
cost  much,  just  enough  for  my  mother  to  have 
till  I  came  back  all  grown  up.  My  brother 
and  the  working  men  could  take  care  of  them- 
selves." 

He  would  certainly  have  been  a  valuable  ac- 
quisition, but  it  was  quite  impossible  for  me 
to  buy  him  and  become  responsible  for  bring- 
ing him  up;  and  he  seemed  so  much  disap- 
pointed that  I  told  him  to  come  and  see  me  some 
day  at  Rio  Hacha,  where  I  expected  to  remain 
several  weeks. 

When  we  went  away  the  Indians  made  us  a 
present  of  vegetables  and  game,  and  the  next 
day  I  sent  them  a  handful  of  nails,  a  package 
of  sugar,  and  a  ball  of  twine.  I  heard  after- 
ward that  they  were  embarrassed  by  my  liberal- 

About  two  weeks  later  I  was  sitting  in  my 
house  at  Rio  Hacha  late  one  night  writing. 
My  pistol  was  at  my  side,  and  the  negro  boy 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

who  attended  my  rooms  had  gone  to  sleep  and 
was  snoring  vigorously.  The  little  city  was 
all  silence  except  for  low  waves  washing  up 
along  the  beach,  and  I  thought  how  lonely  it 
was  as  I  looked  out  at  the  dim  moonlight  re- 
flected on  the  white  sand;  when  suddenly  the 
slender  form  of  Ramon,  the  Indian  boy,  ap- 
peared at  my  window,  scarcely  disturbing  the 
silence;  then,  with  a  gesture  that  bade  me  keep 
quiet,  he  came  softly  in  and  closed  the  door 
behind  him.  "  I  had  to  come  at  night,"  he  said. 
"  Some  of  our  enemies  from  beyond  the  cape  are 
in  the  city,  and  they  would  kill  me  if  they 
could." 

He  had  travelled  forty  or  fifty  miles  on  foot 
to  see  me.  What  a  boy!  I  put  him  in  my 
hammock,  and  went  softly  to  get  him  something 
to  eat,  taking  care  not  to  disturb  my  negro 
servant,  because  it  seemed  best  that  none  should 
know  of  my  Indian  visitor.  He  ate  all  that  I 
had  in  the  house,  which  would  have  been  too 
much  for  an  ordinary  person;  but  a  healthy, 
growing  Indian  has  a  capacity  unlimited.  Then 
he  talked  again  of  my  buying  him,  earnestly 
entreating;  but  I  could  not  do  it,  and  told  him 
how  it  was   my  business   to   go  about   among 

331 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

distant    countries,    and   he    saw    that    it    could 
not  be. 

Then  he  whispered,  "  There  are  men  from 
beyond  the  cape  in  the  city.  I  know  where  they 
sleep;  we  could  kill  them  all."  But  I  could 
not  help  him  in  this,  either,  and  explained  that 
the  white  men  had  different  laws,  and  advised 
him  that  he  was  too  young  to  even  think  of 
fighting  his  enemies,  that  they  were  too  many 
for  him,  and  even  if  he  should  kill  some,  the 
others  would  track  him  down,  and  that  would 
be  the  end  of  his  family.  Then  he  became 
silent,  and  lay  back  in  the  hammock,  while  I 
sat  beside  him.  He  was  near  his  enemies,  but 
was  too  weak  to  attack  them,  and  as  he  lay  there 
his  chest  heaved,  his  eyes  became  more  brilliant, 
and  his  lips  rigid.  He  was  sorrowing  and  griev- 
ing for  his  dead,  not  with  weepings  and  lamen- 
tation, but  after  the  manner  of  his  people,  with 
hate.  I  could  see  it  burning  in  his  eyes  and 
throbbing  in  his  temples;  and  what  an  all- 
consuming  hatred  it  was !  I  became  alarmed 
for  the  boy,  and  knowing  how  the  Indians  prized 
the  red  stone  beads  called  tumas,  I  went  to  my 
collection  and  selected  one  shaped  something 
like  a  conical  bullet,  with  the  hole  drilled  across 

33S 


f     9    y     f 


^. :S^^       J 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

through  the  larger  end.  I  gave  it  to  him,  and 
he  was  immediately  all  smiles  again,  but  the 
next  instant  he  looked  at  me  with  wondering 
eyes  and  said,  "  Seiior,  you  could  buy  me  with 
this.  I  cannot  take  a  gift  so  valuable."  I  put 
a  string  through  the  bead  and  hung  it  about 
his  neck,  telling  him  to  wear  it  in  my  remem- 
brance. Then  he  said  proudly  that  no  one 
should  take  it  from  him  while  he  lived,  that  it 
was  the  shape  most  prized  by  his  family,  and 
I  would  never  need  to  be  ashamed  of  him.  The 
next  moment  he  said  that  it  was  time  for  him 
to  start,  as  he  must  be  well  on  his  road  before 
his  enemies  were  about. 

*'  But,  Ramon,"  I  said,  "  it  is  night-time ; 
think  of  the  snakes,  the  jaguars,  the  panthers, 
and  other  dangerous  things."  He  only  laughed 
lightly  at  this,  picked  up  his  bow,  shoved  the 
arrows  in  his  belt,  and  went  quietly  to  the  door, 
and  I  watched  him  steal  softly  out  in  the  pale 
moonlight;  but  before  turning  away,  he  stood 
a  moment  looking  back  at  me,  only  a  half -naked 
Indian  boy  standing  alone  in  the  night.  Then 
he  waved  his  hand  and  was  gone,  and  I  said 
to  myself  as  I  closed  the  door,  if  ever  he  grows 
up  his  enemies  will  hear  from  him.     Then  I  fell 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

to  thinking  of  the  strange  life  of  the  Indians, 
and  how  different  their  ways  are  from  our  ways, 
and  their  thoughts  from  our  thoughts;  and 
how  soon  they  will  all  be  gone,  and  how  much 
of  their  lore  and  legends,  their  customs,  and 
even  their  names  will  be  lost,  and  for  ever  un- 
recorded. 

I  have  a  sequel  to  this  story.  I  never  ex- 
pected to  see  Ramon  again,  but  I  did  see  him 
some  four  years  later,  when  I  returned  to  the 
country  for  other  investigations.  Ramon  was  a 
boy  no  longer,  and  the  promise  for  a  bright 
future  had  gone  from  him  for  ever.  He  was 
weak,  he  was  diseased,  a  slave  among  the  people 
he  had  hoped  to  vanquish.  He  was  passing 
my  door  and  stopped  as  if  to  speak  to  me,  but 
a  sharp  order  from  his  master,  and  he  went  de- 
jectedly on;  and  as  he  went  the  expression  of 
a  drunkard  was  all  too  plain,  evidence  unmis- 
takable in  his  face  and  in  every  movement,  and 
the  tuma  he  had  accepted  with  such  pride,  that 
I  should  never  be  ashamed  of  him,  it  was  gone ; 
yet  what  drunkard  has  ever  been  able  to  main- 
tain his  honour?  Looking  after  Ramon,  deeply 
regretful,  I  kept  thinking.  Oh,  the  traders,  the 
traders,  why  will  they  for  ever  take  rum  among 

334 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  Indians?  And  I  could  not  help  but  think 
of  a  judgment  to  come,  "  when  earthly  things 
made  even  atone  together,"  and  to  wonder  what 
penalty  those  men  should  pay  who  for  such  a 
little  thing,  the  profit  on  the  rum  that  Ramon 
would  drink,  had  destroyed  a  life  of  so  much 
promise. 

In  this  story  the  spelling  of  the  Indian  names 
is  phonetic,  adopting  the  sound  so  nearly  as  may 
be  to  the  English  language.  I  do  not  wish  to 
convey  the  idea  that  the  different  castes  among 
these  Indians  fight  together  and  against  each 
other  as  clans.  The  continued  strife  is  between 
families  and  villages,  without  much  regard  to 
their  castes,  and  among  them  to-day  caste  dis- 
tinctions are  dying  out,  though  formerly  they 
were  strong. 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 


CHAPTER    XXVni. 

ACROSS.  COUNTRY  TO  BOGOTA 

I  DID  not  remain  long  in  Rio  Hacha,  but 
went  again  to  the  coal-mines,  intending  to  go 
across  the  country  after  I  had  finished  my  ex- 
aminations, and  travel  as  far  as  Bogota. 

Where  the  coal-mines  are  located  is  a  great 
valley  between  the  Painted  Andes  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada  de  Santa  Marta  Mountains.  The  val- 
ley was  intensely  hot,  low  lying,  and,  at  many 
places,  stony  and  arid.  At  such  points  cactus 
plants  grow  to  unusual  size,  and  in  such  great 
abundance  that  they  form  a  forest  crowded  so 
close  together  at  some  places  that  one  seems  shut 
in  from  all  the  world.  Here  there  is  no  other 
vegetation,  and  the  land  is  silent,  the  cactus 
plants  stand  motionless,  the  heat  is  intense; 
though  in  some  places  the  growth  is  so  thick, 
and  the  plants  so  tall,  that  the  sun  is  shut  out, 

336 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  a  grateful  shade  is  formed.  Riding  on 
through  a  forest  of  these  great  cactus  plants, 
following  a  trail  on  its  winding  course  through 
their  crowded  growth,  the  strange  forms,  the  si- 
lence, the  sharp  contrasts  of  shadows  and  burn- 
ing sunlight,  and  the  cave-like  surroundings 
where  the  cactus  have  grown  over  thick,  give 
one  an  impression  as  of  another  world,  or  as 
if,  in  fancy,  one  were  passing  on  through  an 
unknown  region  of  the  ocean  depths,  so  strange 
and  so  unreal  it  all  appears. 

It  was  a  rough  life  in  the  valley,  but  the 
strange  surroundings  made  it  attractive,  and 
here  I  tarried  for  some  days.  After  a  time  I 
became  interested  in  a  peculiar  mountain  called 
the  Cerrajon,  an  abrupt  formation  standing  in 
bold  outline  directly  above  the  valley. 

The  majordomo  of  my  peons  said  it  was  not  a 
difficult  climb,  but  if  I  wished  to  reach  the  sum- 
mit it  would  require  two  days,  as  we  would  have 
to  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  then 
up  the  main  range  and  along  the  top  of  a  ridge 
till  we  reached  a  point  from  which  it  was  an 
easy  matter  to  climb  the  Cerrajon. 

This  did  not  suit  me  at  all.  I  wanted  to 
see  if  there  was  coal  on  the  steep  front  of  the 

337 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

mountain  facing  the  valley,  and  so  informed  the 
majordomo. 

"  It  is  impossible,  senor,"  he  said ;  "  for 
birds  and  wild  animals  it  can  be,  but  it  is  not  a 
place  for  men." 

"  But  I  want  to  go  there,  and  I  wish  to  find 
a  way,  and  you  must  come  with  me,"  I  said, 
angrily. 

"  I  can  go,  but  not  to  show  the  way,"  he  said, 
adding,  with  a  great  show  of  politeness,  "  and 
if  the  Seiior  knows  a  path  up  the  mountains, 
having  never  seen  it,  he  can  go  to  the  top,  and 
I  can  follow  him." 

We  started  early  the  next  morning,  walking 
about  five  miles  through  the  cactus  and  thorn- 
bushes  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Here  the 
real  climbing  began.  We  had  crossed  several 
smaller  mountains  on  our  way,  and  were  thor- 
oughly warmed  to  our  work;  yet  it  was  a 
rough  and  tumble  all  the  way  to  the  top.  We 
could  never  have  reached  it  but  for  the  bushes 
and  small  trees  growing  all  over  the  side  of  the 
mountain ;  we  went  up  bracing  our  feet  against 
these  very  much  as  one  would  climb  a  ladder. 
Sometimes  we  came  to  places  where  even  this 
was  impossible,  and  the  majordomo  would  say 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

with  satisfaction  that  we  had  reached  the  Hmit, 
but  by  making  our  way  carefully  along  the 
face  of  the  mountain,  I  always  found  a  place 
where  we  could  go  a  little  higher,  and  we  kept 
going  up  and  up  till  finally  we  came  to  a  ledge 
of  rock  that  appeared  unsurmountable ;  but  we 
followed  along  its  base  for  some  distance,  and 
finally  came  to  a  broken  place  where  we  had  a 
rough  scramble  for  a  few  moments,  and  then 
stood  on  the  very  summit. 

The  majordomo  was  delighted,  and  told  me 
that  we  were  on  ground  where  no  man  had 
ever  been,  a  place  the  people  of  the  valley  had 
always  considered  entirely  inaccessible.  The 
scene  before  us  was  most  beautiful,  appearing 
almost  as  if  I  could  take  one  step  out  into  space 
and  go  falling  to  the  valley  below.  Across  this 
valley  I  could  see  all  the  Sierra  Nevada  de 
Santa  Marta  Mountains,  their  bold  outlines 
dark  in  the  lengthening  shadows,  and  their 
white  peaks  glowing  with  colour  under  the  fierce 
light  of  the  tropical  sun. 

I  stood  looking  for  a  long  while,  till,  finally, 
the  majordomo  reminded  me  that  it  was  getting 
late,  and  camp  was  a  long  way  off. 

Going  down  was  a  good  deal  like  sliding  off 

339 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

a  bam  roof  and  taking  your  chances,  but  after 
many  scratches  and  bruises  we  got  down  safely, 
and  then  began  a  hard  march  to  camp,  where  we 
arrived  about  nine  p.  m.,  thoroughly  tired  out. 

A  big  dinner  was  waiting,  and  after  eating 
all  I  could,  I  went  to  bed ;  and  as  I  fell  asleep 
I  heard  the  majordomo  giving  thrilling  accounts 
of  our  adventures  climbing  up  the  Cerrajon 
Mountain  to  a  point  where  he  and  his  hearers 
agreed  no  human  being  had  ever  been  before. 

A  few  days  more  in  the  valley,  and  I  started 
on  a  long  journey  overland  en  route  for  the 
city  of  Bogota.  I  followed  the  valley  westward 
to  where  it  opened  out  into  the  great  basin  of 
the  Magdalena  River,  passing  on  my  way  a 
series  of  cactus  plains,  mud-holes,  acacia  thick- 
ets, and,  at  frequent  intervals,  fertile  regions, 
marked  by  the  presence  of  thriving  towns. 
After  travelling  for  two  or  three  days,  we  came 
in  sight  of  the  precipices  for  which  the  Painted 
Andes  are  named.  The  cliffs  stand  in  rugged 
outline  at  the  highest  portions  of  the  range, 
their  faces  banded  by  great  stratification  of 
alternate  black  and  white  extending  horizontally 
all  along  the  front  of  these  precipices,  a  forma- 
tion so  strange  that  it  was   startling,   and  so 

340 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

bold  and  clearly  formed  that  we  could  see  the 
great  bands  of  black  and  white  for  many  miles 
of  our  journey,  looking  exactly  as  if  they  had 
been  painted  along  the  upper  portions  of  the 
mountains.  I  was  anxious  to  visit  those  strange 
precipices,  but  this  was  impossible,  for  they 
marked  the  country  of  the  Matolony  Indians, 
a  tribe  so  murderously  disposed  that  on  meet- 
ing them  one  must  either  kill  or  be  killed;  no 
one  had  ever  penetrated  so  far  among  their 
mountains,  and   guides  could  not  be  obtained. 

Two  days  further  on,  one  begins  to  encounter 
the  swamps  and  lagoons  of  the  Magdalena  val- 
ley. On  reaching  that  country  I  travelled 
mostly  by  canoe,  and  found  the  lagoons  inter- 
esting, though  of  a  dreary  appearance,  oppress- 
ive, blighting  almost  to  one's  spirits.  I  went 
over  this  country  with  some  care,  and  examined 
many  of  the  streams  flowing  into  the  Zapatosa 
Lagoon,  the  largest  of  all  the  interior  lakes  of 
Colombia. 

Tliere  were  no  particular  adventures,  and 
everything  went  well  with  me  till  one  afternoon 
when  we  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  little  vil- 
lage. There  my  two  guides  promptly  became 
intoxicated,  and  next  morning  they  were  in  a 

341 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

bad  condition  to  continue  the  journey;  in  fact, 
they  were  very  drunk.  I  was  told  that,  once 
in  the  canoe,  they  would  take  me  safely  enough ; 
the  only  difficulty  would  be  to  get  them  started. 
After  some  effort  I  succeeded  in  getting  them 
in  the  canoe,  though  one  of  the  men  tumbled 
over  the  side  while  attempting  to  take  his  seat. 
We  had  a  long  trip  before  us,  and  the  under- 
taking appeared  rather  dangerous  with  the  two 
drunken  men  in  a  canoe  that  would  turn  over 
so  easily  that  a  person  had  to  be  careful  and  sit 
quietly  all  the  time. 

The  men  did  fairly  well,  though  they  would 
often  fall  asleep  over  their  work  and  nearly 
upset  the  canoe,  but  somehow  they  would  al- 
ways catch  themselves  just  in  time.  We  kept 
going  on  and  on,  now  through  a  narrow  channel, 
then  out  into  a  broad  lagoon,  or  among  a  clus- 
ter of  low,  unhealthful  islands,  till  finally  we 
came  to  the  great  Zapatosa  Lagoon. 

The  men  were  tired  now,  and  wanted  to  stop, 
saying  that  the  weather  looked  threatening,  and 
that  a  storm  on  the  open  lagoon  in  so  frail  a 
craft  would  be  certain  death. 

I  thought  that  my  men  were  more  anxious  to 
stop  for  the  night  at  a  little  village  we  were 

342 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

passing  than  they  were  afraid  of  a  storm,  so 
I  determined  to  push  on,  and  presently  we  came 
out  on  a  broad  lagoon  so  large  that  our  eyes 
could  scarcely  see  across  it,  while  in  the  distance 
ranges  of  mountains  appeared  as  floating  in 
the  air  above  the  water. 

Over  the  surface  there  was  silence,  and  every- 
where a  sense  as  of  death;  the  yellow  water 
was  glassy  in  its  repose,  the  intense,  refracted 
sunlight  adding  to  the  illusion.  In  the  un- 
healthful-coloured  water  were  dead  trees,  groups 
of  alligators,  and  here  and  there  companies  of 
aquatic  birds.  Along  the  shores  there  was  deso- 
lation, dead  trees,  and  struggling  cane-brakes. 
My  men  forgot  their  laziness ;  they  were  work- 
ing now  with  the  energy  of  fear.  Swiftly  the 
light  canoe  went  forward,  but  there  was  no 
breeze,  nothing  to  relieve  the  intense  heat,  — 
and  such  a  burning  heat;  it  seemed  at  times  as 
though  I  could  scarcely  breathe.  As  we  went 
on,  I  could  understand  the  fears  that  the  men 
entertained  of  this  treacherous  water,  and  in 
fancy  I  imagined  the  wild  tumult  of  a  sudden 
storm  sweeping  over  that  desolate  lagoon.  Suf- 
fering intensely  from  the  heat,  we  pressed  on, 
and  after  an  hour  or  two  had  crossed  a  sort  of 

343 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

bay  in  the  lagoon,  and  then  we  came  in  the 
gathering  darkness  to  a  river,  and  on  its  black 
waters  we  were  carried  away  into  the  night, 
till  presently  we  came  to  a  hut,  and  were  soon 
asleep. 

The  smaller  lagoons  are  similar  to  the  Zapa- 
tosa  Lagoon,  and  of  them  there  is  little  to  be 
said.  I  continued  some  days  in  this  region, 
making  explorations,  but  without  special  inci- 
dent, and  then  went  on  my  way,  following  the 
trails  to  the  Magdalena  River,  and  then,  tak- 
ing a  steamer,  went  up  the  river  again  as  far 
as  Honda,  and  from  there  I  went  across  the 
mountains  on  foot  to  Bogota. 

On  the  road  across  the  mountains  there  were 
no  exciting  incidents,  only  annoyances;  the 
way  was  tedious,  the  people  inhospitable,  the 
road-houses  unclean,  and  their  charges  little 
short  of  robbery. 

Bogota  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  a  great  in- 
terior savannah,  an  open  grass  plain  at  almost 
ten  thousand  feet  elevation  above  the  sea,  a 
place  of  enchanting  beauty,  a  broad  expanse 
of  open  country  surrounded  by  the  bleak  sum- 
mits of  inner  ranges  of  the  Andes  Mountains; 
But  the  city  is  a  place  of  vermin  and  corrupting 

344 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

filth;  a  place  where  the  common  incidents  of 
the  streets  are  not  fit  to  be  described;  where 
beggars,  displaying  revolting  sores  and  rotting 
limbs,  swarm  about,  even  thrusting  their  filthy 
bodies  where  they  may  touch  those  who  pass 
by,  while  they  demand,  not  solicit,  alms;  where 
ill-mannered,  arrogant,  overdressed  people  make 
vulgar  display  of  their  clothes,  as  they  strut 
about  and  crowd  for  precedence,  making  much 
of  the  antiquated  custom  of  demanding  a  place 
next  the  wall,  —  a  fad  which  caused  continued 
misunderstandings,  because  all  claimed  the  wall, 
and  it  was  difficult  to  pass;  for  my  part,  I 
walked  mostly  in  the  streets,  and  left  the  side- 
walks to  the  natives.  In  Bogota  one  can  see  the 
sedan-chairs  in  active  use,  similar  to  those  which 
are  read  about  in  historic  accounts  of  periods 
some  two  or  three  centuries  gone  past.  Here 
ladies,  to  show  their  piety  and  religious  senti- 
ment, go  about  dressed  as  penitents  in  rough 
garment  and  belt  of  rope;  but  the  dress  is 
drawn  tightly  about  them,  that  they  may  not 
touch  the  swarms  of  filthy  people. 

One  incident  of  the  streets  is  ever  vividly 
before  me.  I  saw  a  boy,  ragged  and  dirty,  his 
hands  tied  firmly  behind  his  back,  his  head  a 

345 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

mass  of  sores,  scabs,  and  filth  from  the  lice  of 
Bogota,  called  peojos  by  the  natives.  He  was 
whimpering  and  crying,  screaming  at  times  in 
his  distress.  With  his  hands  tightly  bound,  his 
parents  led  him  about,  soliciting  alms,  their 
hard  faces  showing  too  clearly  that  they  were 
making  a  medium  of  the  boy's  sufferings  to 
obtain  money  for  themselves.  I  looked  on  in 
horror  for  an  instant,  and  then  asked  some  peo- 
ple with  whom  I  was  talking  that  they  would 
excuse  me  for  a  moment,  in  order  that  I  might 
give  some  money,  and  prescribe  an  ointment 
by  which  the  boy  could  be  cured.  They  laughed 
derisively,  saying  that  I  might  give  the  money 
and  the  medicine;  the  parents  would  call  down 
blessings  on  my  head,  but  they  would  keep  the 
money  and  sell  the  medicine,  —  the  boy  was  too 
profitable  for  them  to  permit  a  cure.  I  hesi- 
tated: the  blessings  from  such  fiends  would  be 
more  blighting  than  the  deepest  curses  from 
decent  people;  and  as  I  hesitated,  the  boy  gave 
a  convulsive  tug  at  his  bonds,  freed  one  hand, 
and  immediately  clutched  at  his  itching,  burn- 
ing head,  dragging  at  it  with  such  violence  that 
a  great  patch  of  his  scalp  was  torn  off,  exposing 
the  skull.     His  parents  bound  his  hands  again, 

346 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

and  with  cruel  looks  of  satisfaction  led  him 
on,  blood  dripping  over  his  face,  his  cries  of 
distress  and  the  plaintive  whine  of  his  parents, 
as  they  asked  pity  for  their  misfortunes  and 
the  necessities  of  their  suffering  boy,  adding 
horrid  emphasis  to  his  appearance  of  misery. 
The  religiously-gowned  ladies  drew  their  gar- 
ments close  about  them,  and  looked  aside  that 
they  might  not  see;  their  great  houses  were 
closed  tight,  and  walled  about;  it  was  nothing 
to  them;  what  did  they  care?  How  I  longed 
for  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Children.  But  I  was  a  stranger  in  a  city 
where  I  was  quite  unknown,  and  found  but 
scant  courtesy  in  ordinary  affairs;  what  could 
I  hope  to  do  for  a  suffering  boy,  where  the 
law  made  no  provision,  the  citizens  of  the  place 
gave  no  heed,  and  all  the  streets  were  filled 
with  scenes  of  filth,  misery,  and  degradation. 

Naturally  I  had  but  little  desire  to  remain 
in  the  city,  and  finding  the  country  people  good- 
natured  and  trustworthy,  I  made  frequent  ex- 
cursions among  the  surrounding  mountains,  and 
out  on  the  beautiful  plains  of  the  savannah. 

One  morning  I  climbed  the  highest  peak  back 
of  the  city,  and  then  made  my  way  to  still  higher 

347 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

elevations  some  distance  further  on,  and  there 
I  ascended  a  peak  which  just  penetrated  the 
frost  line,  and  found  ice  collected  on  its  sum- 
mit. Here  was  absolute  solitude.  For  miles, 
north  and  south,  were  successions  of  elevations 
and  ridges  forming  the  interior  ranges  of  the 
Andes  Mountains.  There  were  patches  of  red 
earth  exposed  on  eroded  surfaces,  outcroppings 
of  disintegrating  rock,  in  colour  a  dull  yellow, 
blending  with  the  cold  grays,  dull  browns,  and 
doubtful  green  of  the  stunted  vegetation;  a 
great  expanse  of  country,  alone  and  desolate. 
The  shadows  of  drifting  clouds  were  in  the  air, 
a  dusty  haze  hung  over  the  distant  ranges,  and 
the  sunlight  seemed  feeble,  not  strong  to  cheer. 
Damp  cold  was  all  over  the  mountains,  a  place 
of  broodings  and  melancholy  thoughts,  of  lone- 
liness and  chill;  but  on  the  protected  places 
below  the  rocks  there  were  flowers,  soft,  delicate 
blossoms,  profusely  blooming,  little  gather- 
ings of  joyousness  and  beauty,  surrounded  by 
the  solemn  expanse  and  desolate  impressive 
silence  of  the  unpeopled  interior  mountains  of 
Colombia. 

I  remained  a  long  time  on  this  mountain  peak, 
and  then   noticing   a   collection   of  huts   on   a 

348 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

table-land  not  far  below  it,  I  went  down  to  them, 
asking  permission  to  remain  for  the  night;  a 
request  the  humble  proprietors  readily  granted, 
though  they  were  distressed  as  to  how  they 
might  entertain  me,  for  with  them  bread  and 
meat  were  rare  luxuries;  but  on  finding  that 
I  knew  how  to  eat  roots,  as  they  expressed  it, 
we  were  soon  quite  at  ease.  For  supper  there 
were  yams,  potatoes,  carrots,  and  onions;  that 
was  all,  but  it  was  enough;  and  that  night, 
with  my  cloak  wrapped  tightly  about  me,  I  slept 
under  an  open  thatched  shed  in  front  of  their 
huts,  the  damp  cold  of  the  night  blowing  in 
my  face,  and  the  silence  of  the  mountains  envel- 
oping all  about  me. 

Next  morning  I  went  on  again,  after  liberally 
paying  my  friends  for  their  attentions,  for  they 
were  too  poor,  I  knew,  to  extend  hospitality 
unrewarded.  To  the  southeast  of  the  table-land 
there  was  a  range  of  mountains,  some  distance 
away,  but  I  crossed  over  to  them,  and,  climbing 
up  over  the  summits,  came  to  the  divide,  where 
the  streams  turn  east;  and  a  little  further  on 
there  opened  before  me  a  view  of  all  the  plains 
and  lowlands  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Oronoco, 
spreading  out  in  the  distance  even  to  the  far- 

349 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

thest  horizon.  Here  I  rested  for  a  time,  and 
then  turned  again  toward  Bogota,  not  crossing 
the  mountains,  but  following  the  trail  across 
the  table-land,  which  led  to  the  city  by  easier 
gradients. 

Shortly  after  this  incident,  I  left  Bogota, 
making  a  second  journey  on  foot  across  the 
mountains  to  the  Magdalena  River,  a  difficult 
undertaking,  but  richly  repaid  in  specimens  of 
interest  and  valuable  information;  for  I  was 
investigating  the  probable  cost  of  railway  con- 
struction. I  was  not  sorry,  however,  when  I 
was  once  more  on  board  a  steamer  on  my  way 
down  the  river,  en  route  for  other  places. 


350 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THROUGH    THE    WEST    INDIES 

Arriving  at  Barranquilla,  I  took  a  steamer 
for  the  island  of  Curasao,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  end  of  my  journeys  in  the  Caribbean  re- 
gions there  were  no  exciting  adventures.  I 
found  at  the  Dutch  West  Indies  a  thrifty,  hard- 
working people,  a  clean,  well-ordered  city 
(Williamstadt),  and  charming  but  unpreten- 
tious little  villages.  I  found  a  place  of  cleanli- 
ness, security,  and  order,  where  the  trade-winds 
sweep  continuously  over  rugged  cliffs,  saturat- 
ing all  the  air  with  the  salt  and  moisture  of  the 
blue  sea,  for  deep  water  lies  close  against  the 
islands ;  a  place  in  which  to  rest,  recuperate, 
and  watch  the  waves  beating  against  the  shore. 
I  left  the  island  with  regrets,  and  went  along 
the  coast  of  Venezuela,  stopping  at  different 
ports,  but  not  remaining  to  make  examinations, 

351 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

for  in  Venezuela  security  is  not  sufficient  even 
in  times  of  peace.  The  lands  are  rich,  and  the 
resources  abundant,  but  the  system  of  admin- 
istrations permits  too  many  unjust,  even  ruin- 
ous exactions,  and  the  riches  of  Venezuela  had 
best  remain  where  they  are,  and  Americans  had 
better  not  seek  after  them  till  we  have  a  govern- 
ment at  Washington  that  will  protect  our  citi- 
zens abroad  against  the  first  aggression,  rather 
than  wait  till  some  great  act  of  violence  is  com- 
mitted, and  then,  when  no  service  can  come 
of  it,  make  feeble  protests.  But  the  Americans 
abroad  have  no  opportunity  to  vote,  and  what 
do  the  politicians  at  Washington  care  about 
them?  Some  years  ago  I  met  an  American 
cruiser  at  a  tropical  port,  and  went  to  the  cap- 
tain on  behalf  of  some  fellow  citizens,  soliciting 
aid  in  bringing  a  party  of  Americans  from  a 
point  of  great  danger  during  a  revolution. 
We  did  not  ask  for  the  expenditure  of  any 
money,  but  wanted  an  American  officer  to  take 
the  flag  and  go  with  an  expedition  we  were 
fitting  out  to  rescue  our  friends.  But  no,  the 
captain's  instructions  from  Washington  were  to 
do  nothing:  the  Americans  might  be  in  ever 
so   great  danger,  but  he  was  to  do  nothing; 

352 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

if  some  of  them  were  killed,  he  would,  of  course, 
take  the  matter  up.  In  other  words,  until  they 
were  killed,  it  was  of  no  consequence ;  only  dead 
Americans  were  of  importance  at  Washington; 
alive  they  must  take  care  of  themselves.  We 
brought  the  Americans  out  safely,  but  they  lost 
a  lot  of  property.  A  lesson  to  the  Americans 
that  they  had  better  leave  the  more  exposed 
places  to  be  occupied  by  their  European  com- 
petitors. And  for  this  reason  I  passed  Ven- 
ezuela by,  though  its  recources  are  magnificent. 

Americans  take  great  risks  in  the  Spanish 
republics;  in  some  the  risk  is  greater  than  in 
others.  If  only  American  lives,  property,  and 
interests  were  vigorously  protected  in  those 
treasure-lands  to  the  south  of  us,  it  would  be 
worth  $^00,000,000  annually  in  trade  to  our 
country.  I  have  seen  all  those  lands,  I  know 
what  I  say.  But  Americans  abroad  do  not 
come  home  to  vote;  what  do  the  politicians  at 
Washington  care  about  them? 

From  the  coast  of  Venezuela  I  went  to  the 
island  of  Trinidad,  and  there  saw  the  progress 
and  oppressive  taxation  common  to  all  British 
Crown  colonies.  The  government  officials  made 
good     salaries     and     pensions,  —  all     charged 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

against  the  island's  taxes ;  the  large  landowners 
had  in  abundance,  but  the  people  were  desper- 
ately poor.  The  country  is  rich  and  produc- 
tive, but  there  is  no  special  opportunity  for 
Americans  in  this,  or  any  other  British  island. 
I  have  not  found  any  Americans  who  considered 
themselves  really  welcome  as  residents  among 
the  people,  or  who  felt  that  they  had  received, 
or  would  receive,  entire  justice  in  dealing  with 
colonial  officials  in  tropical  British  colonies. 
So  it  was  in  Barbadoes  and  the  smaller  islands; 
all  of  them  places  of  the  most  charming  beauty, 
desirable  for  tourists  and  salesmen,  but  none 
of  them  favourable  places  for  permanent  resi- 
dences arid  investment  on  the  part  of  Americans. 

I  found  Porto  Rico  gradually  emerging  from 
its  period  of  depression,  a  beautiful  island  rich 
in  small  opportunities,  where  patient  industry 
will  bring  its  reward,  and  fruit-growing  seems 
particularly  attractive. 

In  Hayti  I  found  a  country  sinking  into 
barbarism,  a  place  where  a  foreigner  takes  great 
risks  even  when  doing  nothing.  When  I  stopped 
there,  a  revolution  was  brewing,  and  going 
about  was  difficult.  Guards  were  at  most  of 
the  cities,  and  my  presence  gave  them  an  oppor- 

354 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

tunity  to  display  their  authority,  and  I  was 
watched  with  care  and  caution.  At  Port  au 
Prince  I  found  the  guards  at  one  of  the  gates 
sleeping,  and  I  slipped  past  them  out  into  the 
country.  There  is  no  fairer  land  in  all  the  world 
than  this  island  of  Hayti,  and  the  country  sur- 
rounding the  city  of  Port  au  Prince  was  par- 
ticularly interesting.  I  wandered  about  alone 
for  some  hours,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  made 
my  way  up  one  of  the  hills  overlooking  the 
harbour.  Here  I  found  a  deserted  stone  build- 
ing, the  doors  standing  open;  I  thought  to 
enter,  but  as  a  precaution  gave  a  smart  knock 
on  the  door  with  my  walking-stick.  Instantly, 
like  a  swarm  of  black  ants,  a  lot  of  negro  sol- 
diers came  crowding  out  of  the  doors ;  aroused 
from  sleep,  they  now  stood  open-mouthed  at  the 
intrusion.  Apparently  I  was  in  a  scrape,  but 
I  stood  my  ground,  looking  at  them  steadily. 
Then  I  made  a  motion  as  if  I  wished  to  pass 
the  fort.  This  was  energetically  forbidden,  and 
I  made  them  think  I  was  disappointed  and 
angry;  a  subterfuge  which  had  the  desired 
effect,  because  it  gave  them  an  opportunity  to 
exercise  authority  and  command  obedience,  their 
most  dearly  cherished  ambition,  and  I  was  or- 
355 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

dered  violently  to  retrace  my  steps  and  go  down 
the  mountain.  This  I  did  with  a  show  of  reluc- 
tance, but  inwardly  glad  to  get  away  and  to 
allow  them  to  shout  their  orders  out  after  me 
till  I  was  out  of  sight. 

From  Hayti  I  went  to  Jamaica,  the  best  and 
most  beautiful  of  all  the  British  colonies  in 
America.  I  remained  some  time  on  the  island, 
where  I  found  many  courteous  people,  whom  I 
remember  with  the  highest  regard.  This  island 
has  been  so  ably  and  so  frequently  described  that 
little  remains  to  be  said  in  regard  to  it.  The 
lands  are  fertile,  and  many  of  its  regions  are 
of  unrivalled  beauty;  picturesque  mountains, 
tropical  glades,  and  charming  plantations,  all 
claim  the  delighted  attention  of  travellers. 
The  negroes  do  not  have  the  highest  regard  for 
Americans,  but  they  are  entirely  peaceable,  and 
I  have  frequently  wondered  that  this  beautiful 
island,  where  there  is  every  security  and  unques- 
tionable order,  should  be  so  much  neglected  by 
Americans,  who  would  there  find  an  ideal  place 
for  a  winter  home.  Perhaps  the  negroes  of 
Kingston,  the  principal  city,  make  a  bad  im- 
pression, and  it  is  a  fact  that  an  ugly  hack- 
driver  is  allowed  to  block  the  way  of  a  tourist 

356 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

so  that,  in  crossing  the  street,  one  must  go 
around  through  the  mud  if  he  does  not  wish  to 
use  the  hack,  or  a  strong  black  fellow  may  fol- 
low, impertinently  demanding  alms,  while  the 
police  officers  look  on  complacently;  but  this 
is  a  very  small  matter,  and,  outside  the  city  of 
Kingston,  Jamaica  is  most  orderly  and  attract- 
ive, the  negroes  are  good-natured  and  obliging, 
the  roads  perfect  all  over  the  island,  and  the 
varied  scenes  among  the  mountains  and  valleys 
a  perpetual  delight. 

I  have  travelled  pretty  much  all  over  the 
island,  and  am  always  interested  in  its  people. 
I  well  remember  one  beautiful  Sunday  morning 
when  I  was  stopping  with  some  young  engineers 
who  were  at  work  on  one  of  Jamaica's  famous 
roads.  We  were  sitting  in  front  of  the  house, 
when  an  old  Baptist  preacher  came  along.  He 
was  as  black  as  one  could  imagine,  a  broad  smile 
on  his  face,  and  a  well-worn  Bible  under  his 
arm.  One  of  the  young  men  made  some  joking 
remark  as  he  went  by.  The  old  man  turned 
around,  all  smiles  and  energy,  took  off  his  hat, 
and,  with  a  sweeping  bow,  said,  "  Darh  you  are 
again,  marstar,  pokin'  fun  at  me,  and  I  is  only 
a-dooin'  my  duty  a-humbly ;   but  de  las'  day  am 

357 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

a-comin',  de  las'  day  am  a-comin',  marstar. 
But  I  don't  think  dat  you  is  a-goin'  to  a  bad 
judgment  on  dat  day;  by  em  by,  you  is  again 
to  be  like  Saul,  an'  do  great  t'ings  for  de  Lord, 
marstar,"  and  the  old  man's  voice  became  pa- 
thetic as  he  added,  "  because  you  is  able,  mars- 
tar; it  is  all  for  de  Lord's  good  time,  all  for 
de  Lord's  good  time,  marstar."  The  young  men 
had  nothing  to  say,  and  the  black  preacher 
went  smiling  to  his  congregation,  where,  in  a 
tumble-down  meeting-house,  he  was  shortly 
frightening  the  wits  out  of  a  crowd  of  astounded 
darkies  by  his  mighty  eloquence  and  pictures 
of  the  condemnation  that  was  surely  coming 
to  all  of  them. 

In  the  interior  parts  of  Jamaica  life  is  rather 
rough,  but  one  is  never  far  from  a  handsome 
country-place  or  a  hospitable  village.  I  lived 
in  the  mountains  of  Trelawney  Parish  for  a 
time,  occupying  a  hut  of  two  rooms,  where  the 
wind  came  sweeping  through  the  gaping  cracks, 
and  when  it  rained  the  hut  soon  became  wet 
inside;  but  then  it  was  pleasanter  than  the 
bare  ground  and  open  woods.  Once  a  company 
of  big  red  ants  found  these  advantages  attract- 
ive ;  at  first  I  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  them ; 

358 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

they  just  wandered  around  in  an  aimless  way, 
and  apparently  intended  no  harm;  but  they 
began  to  increase,  and  one  damp  morning  I 
found,  on  opening  a  travelling-box,  an  enor- 
mous nest  of  them,  hundreds  and  hundreds,  and 
they  immediately  began  to  contest  my  rights. 
Some  of  them  had  big  jaws,  and  could  draw 
blood  freely,  inflicting  a  most  painful  wound. 
I  killed  them  all,  and  thought  I  was  well  rid 
of  them,  but  early  next  morning  I  found  they 
had  taken  possession  of  my  bed,  and  apparently 
objected  strongly  to  my  presence.  I  did  not 
intrude  on  them  more  than  necessary,  but  some- 
thing began  to  stir  up  my  feelings,  and  I  was 
out  of  that  bed  quicker  than  I  had  considered 
it  possible,  and  stood  shivering  in  my  pajamas, 
looking  on  in  despair  at  those  disgusting  ants 
that  were  now  chasing  about  over  the  bedclothes 
with  open  jaws,  trying  to  catch  whatever  it  was 
that  had  broken  up  their  rest.  Presently  they 
went  to  bed  again,  and  I  sat  up  in  the  cold, 
watching  over  them  and  waiting  for  the  sun 
to  rise.  Shortly  the  slaughter  began,  and  of 
course  the  ants  got  the  worst  of  it;  but  that 
did  not  stop  them  at  all,  and  next  night  they 
gathered  again  and  made  directly  for  my  bed. 
359 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

I  tried  to  be  brave  and  fight  them,  but  they 
were  many  and  I  was  only  one,  and  so  I  re^ 
treated,  gave  them  the  bed,  and  took  to  my 
hammock;  but  they  even  followed  me  there, 
and  next  night  I  was  in  doubt  whether  to  give 
them  the  hammock  and  take  to  the  bed,  or  give 
them  the  bed  and  take  the  hammock.  The  lat- 
ter seemed  more  prudent,  but  before  turning  in 
I  killed  a  few,  and  put  the  lantern  on  the  floor. 
The  smell  of  their  dead  seemed  to  enrage  them, 
and  for  some  reason  or  other  they  took  the 
lantern  as  their  common  enemy,  and  I  fell  asleep 
to  the  sharp  clinking  of  their  jaws  against  the 
tin.  This  kept  them  amused,  and  let  me  have 
some  rest,  and  so  we  had  a  fair  arrangement 
for  a  time,  but  I  was  truly  glad  when,  after 
the  storm  cleared  up,  the  ants  went  back  to 
the  woods  and  meadows,  leaving  me  to  occupy 
my  hut  in  security. 

In  Jamaica  the  negroes  are  unreasonably 
superstitious,  and  have  a  great  fear  of  charms 
and  spells,  which  they  firmly  believe  can  be 
evoked  to  do  them  harm.  The  following  inci- 
dent is  a  good  illustration  of  their  fears: 

I  was  near  the  little  town  of  Christiana,  col- 
lecting fossils  in  an  open  lot  where  the  limestone 

360 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

had  been  weathered  down,  leaving  the  specimens 
exposed.  I  was  deeply  interested  in  my  work, 
and  gave  little  heed  to  my  surroundings.  Even- 
ing was  coming  on  when  I  noticed  a  negro  boy 
of  some  fifteen  years  sitting  on  the  fence,  watch- 
ing me  with  wondering  eyes  and  intense  inter- 
est. 

I  looked  at  him  and  said,  "  Boy,  what  for  you 
look  at  me  so?  "  To  which  he  replied,  "  Suh, 
marstar,  what  for  you  want  dem  'tone  t'ings  ?  " 

Knowing  their  superstition  and  dread,  I  re- 
plied, "  For  go  kill  a  man  down  the  mountain." 

Then  he  looked  at  me  with  frightened  eyes, 
saying,  "  Suh,  marstar,  for  true?  "  and  stared 
at  me  worse  than  ever;  in  fact,  it  seemed  as  if 
he  could  not  move  his  frightened  eyes  from  me 
and  from  the  specimens  I  was  gathering. 

Then  I  said,  severely,  "  Boy,  what  for  you 
look  at  me  so;  think  I  like  that?  You  mad 
me  for  true ;  pretty  quick  I  kill  you,  too.  You 
see  dat  'tone  t'ing,"  showing  him  a  specimen 
of  a  fossil  shell ;  "  now  you  wait,  when  I  find 
the  mate  to  that,  then  I  kill  you,  you'll  see." 

Then  I  went  on  gathering  specimens,  became 
interested,  and  thought  no  more  of  the  fright- 
ened darky  sitting  on  the  fence. 

361 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

Evening  came  over  the  hills,  and  in  the  soft 
tropical  night  that  followed  quickly  after  the  sun 
had  set  I  was  walking  slowly  down  to  my  lodg- 
ings in  the  village;  but  presently, my  walk  was 
disturbed  by  a  black  boy  tagging  after  me,  now 
coming  to  my  side,  and  then  starting  back  as 
if  in  great  fear.  This  continued  for  some  time, 
and  I  stopped,  saying,  "  Well,  my  boy,  what's 
troubling  you?  "  at  which  he  replied,  in  a  voice 
of  beseeching  despair,  "  Mister,  general,  colonel, 
squire,  my  lord,  marstar,  don't!  Oh,  don't!  I 
know  you  can  do  it,  but  you  ain't  goin'  for  to 
do  it,"  and  the  long  string  of  titles  was  repeated 
in  most  pathetic  tones. 

"  Don't  what  ?  "  I  asked,  surprised.  "  Why, 
kill  me  with  dem  'tone  t'ings,"  he  answered, 
wildly  astonished  that  I  did  not  remember. 

"  Well,"  I  answered,  "  promise  me  you  will 
never  get  drunk,  and  I  will  let  you  off  this 
time."  He  promised  eagerly,  and  then  ran 
away  in  the  gathering  darkness. 

I  wonder  if  he  kept  his  word  and  earnest 
promise.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  if  he  did, 
for  drunkenness  is  one  of  the  evils  in  Jamaica. 

The  negroes  are  very  susceptible  through 
their  superstitions,  and  I  am  told  that  one  of 

362 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

the  best  methods  of  protecting  one's  garden 
from  petty  thieves  is  to  hang  up  a  black  bottle 
with  a  white  feather  sticking  out  of  it. 

At  another  time  I  was  travelling  through  a 
district  known  as  the  Cockpit  Country,  a  pecu- 
liar place  where  there  are  great  masses  of  lime- 
stone rocks  eroded  into  all  sorts  of  shapes  and 
almost  impossible  ledges.  There  is  no  water 
for  miles,  though  there  are  numerous  sink-holes 
where  the  rains  have  worn  out  deep  round  hol- 
lows, and  the  water  escapes  through  the  porous 
rocks.  These  hollows  give  the  name  to  the 
district. 

After  going  along  the  trail  for  some  distance, 
my  guide  told  me  to  walk  carefully,  because 
if  one  should  slip  the  fall  would  never  end,  as 
there  was  a  pit  just  by  the  trail  that  had  no 
bottom. 

Of  course  I  insisted  on  seeing  a  place  so 
strange,  and  on  being  taken  there,  started  to  go 
closer  to  examine  it.  My  guide  protested,  say- 
ing that  a  wind  would  surely  come  and  suck  me 
down.  This  did  not  seem  probable,  but  I  went 
cautiously  toward  it,  while  the  darky  still  pro- 
tested, standing  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on 
the  other. 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

I  found  a  great  circular  opening  in  the  lime- 
stone cliffs,  and  pushed  a  stone  over  the  side. 
It  disappeared  in  the  black  depths,  and  fell 
with  a  hissing  sound  for  some  seconds  till  it 
crashed  on  the  bottom;  and  the  rocks  trembled 
with  the  shock,  while  the  darky  was  scared  al- 
most speechless.  But  after  a  time  his  fears  were 
overcome,  and  he  eagerly  brought  stones  and  big 
rocks,  urging  me  to  throw  them  down,  saying 
that  there  were  bad  things  in  the  bottom.  There 
was  a  big  boulder  lying  just  behind  the  pit, 
and  together  we  pried  it  over.  As  it  fell,  the 
rushing  sound  almost  took  my  breath  away,  and 
the  crash  which  followed  shook  all  the  rocks  till 
I  thought  they  would  tumble  down  around  us. 
I  had  quite  enough  then,  and  went  on  looking 
for  other  things ;  and  as  I  went  I  heard  my 
black  guide  saying  to  himself,  "  Well,  a  nigger 
could  no  more  'a'  looked  down  dat  pit  without 
the  wind  took  him;  but  de  white  man,  dat  dif- 
ferent." 

This  shows  the  deep  respect  that  the  negro 
of  Jamaica  has  for  the  white  man,  and  indicates 
how  safe  one  is  among  them,  and  an  incivility 
has  been  rare.  The  island  possesses  every  ad- 
vantage,  beautiful   scenery,   clear,   cool   moun- 

364 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

tain  air  in  the  uplands,  and  the  hot,  dreamy 
tropics  along  the  coast;  there  is  the  most  su- 
perb sea-bathing  at  many  places,  and  all  over 
the  island  the  driving  roads  are  a  delight  to 
the  tourist.  There  are  hot  sulphur  springs  and 
other  medicinal  waters,  and  the  future  of  this 
tropical  island,  with  its  security  and  stable  gov-_ 
ernment,  is  bright  indeed,  and  each  year  the 
winter  colony  is  increasing.  Bancrolt  i-ii>4' 

From  Jamaica  I  went  to  Cuba,  a  republic  in 
which  we  are  deeply  interested,  but  unfortu- 
nately our  interest  is  treated  with  distrust.  The 
Cubans  want  to  be  free,  as  they  call  it.  They 
have  never  known  freedom,  and  cannot  but 
dread  any  control  on  the  part  of  a  foreign 
government,  and  so  do  not  realize  that  free 
America  would  be  quite  different  from  tyranni- 
cal Spain ;  but  they  have  suffered  so  much  from 
foreign  control  that  they  dread  it,  and  want 
to  be  entirely  independent,  with  their  own  gov- 
ernment; and  who  can  blame  them,  even  if 
they  are  not  wise,  and  reject  their  great  and 
probably  only  opportunity  to  become  a  part 
of  the  mightiest  republic  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

Cuba  has  been  thoroughly  written  up,  agri- 

365 


AROUND    THE     CARIBBEAN 

cultural  resources  and  mining  wealth;  and 
shrewd  natives  who  trade,  not  too  scrupulously 
perhaps,  and  demanding  more  than  their  prod- 
ucts are  worth,  often  refuse  to  sell  for  fear 
that  the  purchaser  might  be  obtaining  an  ad- 
vantage;  or  who  endeavour  to  obtain  terms  by 
alleging  that  offers  favourable  to  themselves 
had  been  made,  though  at  first  they  had  offered 
any  conditions  themselves  in  order  to  secure  a 
prospective  customer's  interest.  An  incident 
illustrating  their  methods  may  be  interesting. 
While  stopping  at  Havana,  I  was  told  that  a 
Cuban  general  wished  to  talk  to  me  in  regard 
to  mines.  Certainly  I  was  pleased  to  see  him, 
and  went  to  the  place  appointed  for  our  meet- 
ing. 

I  found  a  rather  untidy,  ill-appearing  gen- 
tleman, who  told  me  that,  while  wandering  about 
Cuba  with  the  revolutionary  army,  he  and  some 
other  officers  had  discovered  a  number  of  mines, 
all  of  which  they  had  carefully  noted,  and  now 
wished  to  find  a  mining  expert  who  would  go 
with  them  to  see  which  of  the  different  proper- 
ties indicated  were  valuable,  and  provide  the 
small  amount  required  for  taking  out  the  title, 
for  which  service  they  offered  a  half  interest 

366 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

in  their  discoveries.  This  looked  Hke  good  busi- 
ness, and  I  said  I  would  consider  the  matter,  and 
agreed  to  meet  them  next  day. 

My  next  interview  was  with  the  whole  com- 
bination, people  strongly  suggestive  of  brigands, 
and  I  fell  to  wondering  what  they  might  be 
after,  and  now  made  cautious  answers  to  their 
questionings.  However,  negotiations  were  con- 
tinued, and  a  paper  was  prepared  for  signature ; 
then  one  of  the  men  said,  "  When  will  you  pay 
the  hundred  dollars .?  " 

"  What  hundred  dollars  ?  "    I  asked. 
"  The  money   you   promised   for   each   mine 
we  show  you." 

"  Oh !  "  I  replied,  waiting  to  hear  more. 
"  Certainly,"  he  continued,  "  we  understand 
that  you  agree  to  pay  us  one  hundred  dollars 
for  our  services  in  showing  you  each  of  the 
mines."  The  general  added  hastily,  addressing 
the  company,  "  Do  not  concern  yourselves ;  we 
are  dealing  with  a  gentleman,"  bowing  to  me, 
"  who  will  not  contend  over  a  sum  so  small  in 
such  an  important  business.  The  gentleman  re- 
members what  he  said." 

But  the  gentleman  did  not  remember,  and  I 
told  them  plainly  that,  while  I  was  ready  for 
367 


AROUND     THE     CARIBBEAN 

enterprises,  I  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  any 
business  where  my  associates  attempted  to  make 
money  out  of  me  rather  than  out  of  the  business. 
Then  I  left  them ;  their  game  was  too  apparent, 
and  I  had  seen  enough  of  it. 

This  illustrates  a  condition  which  one  must 
expect  in  many  Cuban  transactions.  They  all 
endeavour  to  draw  one  on  to  consider  a  propo- 
sition, and  then  seek  to  add  conditions  favour- 
able to  themselves,  after  they  think  one  is 
sufficiently  interested;  sometimes  even  after 
verbal  agreements  had  been  made;  but  always 
some  condition  to  be  added  which  had  not  been 
spoken  of  at  first. 

Then,  at  exaggerations  our  Cuban  friends 
are  past  masters.  I  went  to  examine  a  chromium 
mine  in  the  Santa  Clara  Hills,  which  the  owner 
said  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  Cuba.  He 
showed  me  assays  of  the  mineral,  and  orders  for 
large  shipments  from  well-known  consumers, 
and  was  so  sure  that  abundant  ore  was  in  sight 
that  I  agreed  to  go  and  look  at  his  property. 
After  some  trouble  and  expense  I  reached  the 
place,  a  beautiful  location  among  rolling  grassy 
hills,  but  all  the  mine  we  could  find  consisted  of 
a  few  bits  of  chromic  ore  scattered  about  on  the 

S68 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

N 

surface,  where  there  was  an  extensive  serpentine  '( 

formation,  a  possible  but  not  very  encouraging 
prospect.  Yet  the  owner  had  described  ledges 
of  pure  chromium  ore,  and  splendid  facilities 
for  extraction.  He  had  made  contracts  for  de- 
livering to  the  steamers  when  he  should  receive 
orders,  and  he  was  sending  all  over  Europe  and 
America  soliciting  purchasers  for  cargo  lots,  and 
all  because  he  had  found  a  little  float  ore  on  the 
surface. 

These  are  illustrations  of  Cuban  business 
methods.  Opportunities  are  not  lacking  in  that 
beautiful  island,  but  its  people  are  overgreedy, 
imaginative  in  the  extreme,  so  Americans  must 
be  cautious. 

I  was  disappointed  in  the  chromium  mines, 
but  I  was  delighted  with  the  Santa  Clara  Hills. 
In  Havana  I  had  been  told  to  beware  of  brig- 
ands and  dangerous  men,  but  I  found  only  a 
kindly  disposed  peasantry  such  as  I  have  met 
at  all  country  places  throughout  Spanish  Amer- 
ica. 

I  travelled  over  the  greater  portion  of  Cuba, 
and  found  a  rich,  attractive  island,  the  resources 
mostly  agricultural.  The  lands  are  flat  for  the 
greater  part.     Only  in  the  eastern  portions  of 

369 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

the  island  are  there  mountains  of  any  consid- 
erable elevation.  Much  of  the  island  is  sur- 
rounded by  swamps  and  lagoons,  succeeded  by 
broad,  rich  plains  and  then  the  low  hills  of 
portions   of  the  interior. 

When  my  examination  in  Cuba  had  been  fin- 
ished, I  returned  to  New  York,  having  travelled 
over  all  the  regions  surrounding  the  Caribbean 
Sea. 


370 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


A    FAITHFUL    GUIDE 


I  HAVE  alluded  several  times  to  a  kindly  dis- 
posed peasantry  found  all  through  Spanish 
America.  Frequently,  in  and  near  the  cities, 
dangerous  characters  are  met;  out  in  the  coun- 
try, where  rum  is  scarce,  especially  in  the  more 
elevated  regions,  sobriety,  intelligence,  and  in- 
dustry rule ;  and  if  it  were  not  for  the  frequent 
revolutions,  originating  in  the  cities,  the  Span- 
ish Americans  of  the  uplands  and  the  country 
places  would  soon  make  prosperous  regions  of 
their  beautiful  republics. 

An  incident  in  closing  will  illustrate  their 
faithfulness.       • 

For  some  time  I  have  been  directing  the  devel- 
opment of  properties  belonging  to  the  South 
American  Land  and  Exploration  Co.,  Ltd.,  in 
Colombia.    I  have  always  thought  it  best  to  urge 

371 


AROUND    THE    CARIBBEAN 

any  work  that  I  might  have  on  hand,  and  have 
secured  a  rather  peculiar  reputation  among  my 
men,  who  speak  of  me  as  the  person  who  never 
rests.  A  touching  incident  occurred  because  of 
this  urgent  haste  in  my  undertakings  while  I 
was  away  from  the  property.  One  of  my  best 
men  lay  dying.  A  burning  fever  was  on  him, 
contracted  because  of  over  exposure  in  one  of 
the  heavy  rains  of  that  country.  He  was  delir- 
ious, and  fancied  that  I  was  coming  and  would 
be  wanting  him  to  start  at  once  for  some  expe- 
dition. In  vain  the  Priest  bending  over  him 
said,  "  Manuel,  you  will  never  go  to  the  woods 
with  Doctor  Nicholas  again.  Think  of  other 
things  now;    you  are  dying." 

"  No,  no,"  he  replied,  "  get  the  mules  ready, 
get  the  canoe.  Doctor  Nicholas  is  coming.  We 
will  be  going  to-day;    he  will  never  wait." 

The  priest  expostulated,  gently  trying  to 
draw  his  attention  to  the  life  beyond,  but  Man- 
uel would  not  hear  him,  and,  rising  up  suddenly 
in  his  bed,  cried,  "  I  told  you  Doctor  Nicholas 
was  coming ;  there  he  is  now."  Then  my  faith- 
ful guide  and  companion  fell  back  dead. 

Manuel  had  been  a  leader  among  the  rough 
men  of  the  north  coast  of  Colombia,  and  the 

372 


AND    ACROSS    PANAMA 

next  time  I  visited  Dibulla,  a  little  town  near 
the  company's  property,  the  story  was  told  to 
me  just  as  I  have  written  it  here,  but  it  was  more 
impressive.  I  was  surrounded  by  his  sorrowing 
friends,  sorrowing  with  them  for  our  loss. 

As  I  write  now,  I  wonder  if  it  has  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  many  men  to  have  contended  with 
difficulties  such  as  I  have  met,  and  to  have  been 
served  through  them  all  as  I  have  been  served. 


THE    END. 


373 


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